Danny Green Discusses Embiid's Growth From Last Series vs. Raptors

A few postseasons ago, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors met in the second round of the playoffs. Both teams were quite different at the time, and a certain member of the Sixers these days was donning the other team's uniform.

Veteran forward Danny Green joined the Raptors via trade during the 2018-2019 NBA season. Although he only played for the Raptors for one year, the veteran sharpshooter was a valuable piece to their championship run.

Now, he's a seasoned veteran that brings championship experience to the Sixers' roster. And since Green saw Embiid through the lens of a direct competitor in 2019 and now sees the MVP candidate up close during games and practices in 2022, the veteran has seen tons of improvement from Philly's star big man.

As the Sixers enter the 2022 NBA Playoffs with a first-round series against the Raptors, Green discusses a key difference in Embiid's game from that dramatic seven-game series a few years back to now as they enter the first round.

The Difference in Embiid's Game

“[He's had] a lot of growth,” said Green. “Just reading the defense and making the right play. Obviously, he’s not gonna be perfect. He’s gonna have some games where it’s gonna be tougher and have some turnovers, but he’s done a good job of finding the weakness or finding the open man and making the right play. When to score, when to attack, and when to find guys and trust in his teammates.”

Embiid himself knows better than anybody that Toronto's defense can counter his offensive attack better than most teams in the NBA. During the 2018 run, Embiid struggled with passing under pressure. Since then, he's made significant strides in improving in that area, and Green believes the Sixers simply need to trust the big man throughout the series.

“They’re gonna throw a lot of different weird things at us on their defensive end," Green continued. "They’re gonna trap, they’re gonna double, maybe play triangle and two, a box and one, you never know what they’re gonna do, but when you look at the defense and watch the film, he’ll find the answer. You gotta trust him. Somebody’s gonna be open at some point. If we play the right way and make the easy pass or the extra pass and trust in each other, it’ll be a lot easier offensively."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.