Sixers' Seth Curry Studied JJ Redick to Help Joel Embiid out
Joel Embiid wasn't shy about his disappointment in the Sixers' lack of three-point shooters last year. Throughout the season, Embiid hinted at times that he wasn't satisfied with the personnel around him since it caused a lack of spacing for him to work. Then by the time the summer rolled around, the veteran big man didn't shy away from admitting just how uncomfortable he was without JJ Redick around.
"[The transition of lineups affected me] a lot," Embiid told Redick in August. "You can see with the numbers. It was just such a difference-maker. Because you know last year when they were doubling me, I was either inviting it, or l was like 'Okay, I'm not going to post up anymore, and I'm just going to go to that two-man game [with Redick],' because I know I'm going to get you a shot. And once you make two or three, they are going to come up, and that will change everything, and they will leave me open."
After seeing Embiid struggle without Redick, the Sixers knew they could go down that path again without a reliable veteran sharpshooter available for Embiid to play the two-man game with. So, the Sixers went out and traded Josh Richardson and a second-round pick to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Seth Curry.
As expected, Embiid welcomed Curry to the Sixers with open arms. While Curry doesn't necessarily come with the same experience as Redick, his career three-point average of 44-percent intrigued Embiid enough to believe that all of his problems from last year due to the absence of Redick can be solved with the arrival of Curry.
"I would probably want to have the same relationship [with Seth] that I had with JJ [Redick]," Embiid said at the start of training camp this year. "Especially on the court the way we moved and played off of each other. Me setting screens for him, and him sometimes setting screens for me. Just playing that two-man game -- I think we have some potential there."
To help get them there, Curry revealed on Monday after practice that he reviewed some older clips of Embiid and Redick playing together to get a good idea of what Embiid needs from him this upcoming season.
"I've looked at some things on film, and we worked on it in practice," Curry said. "I'm a different player than JJ, so I'm not going to do it in the same sense. I think that first preseason game, we had a stretch where we played a lot of pick and roll, me and Joel, and we got some good stuff out of it."
Curry realizes how much he can benefit Embiid's game this season. Still, he also understands that it will take time for them to form similar chemistry, as Redick and Embiid had two years to work together. However, Curry is confident enough to believe that they will get to where they need to be over time. "The more I get used to playing with him, and we get our spacing down pat to where I can get in the lane and make plays for him and for other guys, we're going to get a lot better as we go along."
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
