Author Topic: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)  (Read 367051 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Re: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)
« Reply #1995 on: May 13, 2019, 08:15:07 PM »

Offline celticsclay

  • Reggie Lewis
  • ***************
  • Posts: 15742
  • Tommy Points: 1386
I find the notion that Simmons didn't improve at all to be strange.  He scored more with a better efficiency all while lowering his usage.  He rebounded better.  He turned it over less frequently.  His passing dropped a bit, but that should be expected with a ball handler like Butler joining the team.  His defensive stats were slightly lower, but again he had someone like Butler next to him taking some defensive pressure off.  He even improved his foul shooting (and got to the line much more frequently).  Sure he still won't shoot a 3 pointer, but he improved many aspects of his game.

He improved some aspects of his game, sure, but he remains a pure liability in the playoffs without a jump shot. Even Sixers fans would tell you that lol.
Sure but that is a different argument.  He scored 1.1 more ppg on 0.1 less attempts per game.  That is a rather significant improvement in efficiency (which mind you is what I said, which of course clay blows out of proportion which he always does with my posts).  Most of that improved efficiency was in his much larger free throw rate and improved FT %. In other words, he figured out how to get to the line a lot better and made better use of it (which also obviously puts the opposing team in worse foul trouble).

There is no question Simmons lack of attempts from deep is absolutely a problem, though i do wonder if the Sixers just called him a power forward and had a more traditional point guard if a lot of that problem would disappear.
I can't believe you are trying to pass off the extremely minor upticks in some counting stats as some type of improvement.

He took 1 extra FT per game...1.

He went from a pathetically bad 56% FT shooting to only a slightly less pathetic 60%.

He scored a whole 1.1 points more per game.

He rebounded a whole 0.2 more rebounds per game.

He has only a half an assist less per game.

You can interpret that as some type of improvement. Most will see that as just a normal yearly variance and say he stagnated, which is pretty much what the eye test shows.

Thanks nick. I’ll also add that Moranis claimed he cut down his turnovers and they actually did not (tiny increase). There are many players on the Celtics that had this year to year variance and nobody is saying Horford is a dramatically better shooter this year than the previous ten of his career. Or call someone a better rebounder cause they get .2 more rebounds a game. It was an absolutely absurd post
« Last Edit: May 13, 2019, 08:17:42 PM by nickagneta »

Re: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)
« Reply #1996 on: May 13, 2019, 08:23:36 PM »

Offline moiso

  • Tiny Archibald
  • *******
  • Posts: 7640
  • Tommy Points: 441
Have they fired Brett Brown yet?  Cuz I woud have fired that hack before he got back to the lockerroom. 

That team had way too much talent to get owned in the 2nd round by inferior teams in back-to-back years.
The Raptors had more talent.  They had far and away the best best player in the series on their team.  But you must know that because you have repeatedly said that talent always wins.

Re: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)
« Reply #1997 on: May 13, 2019, 08:39:59 PM »

Offline Phantom255x

  • Larry Bird
  • *****************************
  • Posts: 29510
  • Tommy Points: 2923
  • On To Banner 18!
Have they fired Brett Brown yet?  Cuz I woud have fired that hack before he got back to the lockerroom. 

That team had way too much talent to get owned in the 2nd round by inferior teams in back-to-back years.
The Raptors had more talent.  They had far and away the best best player in the series on their team.  But you must know that because you have repeatedly said that talent always wins.

All season long it was "PHI has all the talent to make the Finals" and same thing last year that they "had the talent to make the ECF". And now Brett Brown is the scapegoat while Ben Simmons still can't shoot and Embiid supposedly can't stay healthy. Next thing you know, we'll hear that Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler were just "pretend stars" from these folks  ::)  :P
"Tough times never last, but tough people do." - Robert H. Schuller

Re: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)
« Reply #1998 on: May 13, 2019, 08:59:59 PM »

Offline celticsclay

  • Reggie Lewis
  • ***************
  • Posts: 15742
  • Tommy Points: 1386
Have they fired Brett Brown yet?  Cuz I woud have fired that hack before he got back to the lockerroom. 

That team had way too much talent to get owned in the 2nd round by inferior teams in back-to-back years.
The Raptors had more talent.  They had far and away the best best player in the series on their team.  But you must know that because you have repeatedly said that talent always wins.

All season long it was "PHI has all the talent to make the Finals" and same thing last year that they "had the talent to make the ECF". And now Brett Brown is the scapegoat while Ben Simmons still can't shoot and Embiid supposedly can't stay healthy. Next thing you know, we'll hear that Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler were just "pretend stars" from these folks  ::)  :P

I will say I have been really confused by the talk that Harris is a star. There is a pretty lengthy list of players that have put up numbers on bad teams. Does anyone consider Tyreke Evans a star? He averaged 19.5 last year. Is Zach Lavine a star? He averaged almost 24. Fournier was at 18 last year. Most of the teams Harris have played for have been awful
« Last Edit: May 13, 2019, 09:08:22 PM by celticsclay »

Re: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)
« Reply #1999 on: May 13, 2019, 09:46:12 PM »

Offline Moranis

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 33461
  • Tommy Points: 1533
I find the notion that Simmons didn't improve at all to be strange.  He scored more with a better efficiency all while lowering his usage.  He rebounded better.  He turned it over less frequently.  His passing dropped a bit, but that should be expected with a ball handler like Butler joining the team.  His defensive stats were slightly lower, but again he had someone like Butler next to him taking some defensive pressure off.  He even improved his foul shooting (and got to the line much more frequently).  Sure he still won't shoot a 3 pointer, but he improved many aspects of his game.

He improved some aspects of his game, sure, but he remains a pure liability in the playoffs without a jump shot. Even Sixers fans would tell you that lol.
Sure but that is a different argument.  He scored 1.1 more ppg on 0.1 less attempts per game.  That is a rather significant improvement in efficiency (which mind you is what I said, which of course clay blows out of proportion which he always does with my posts).  Most of that improved efficiency was in his much larger free throw rate and improved FT %. In other words, he figured out how to get to the line a lot better and made better use of it (which also obviously puts the opposing team in worse foul trouble).

There is no question Simmons lack of attempts from deep is absolutely a problem, though i do wonder if the Sixers just called him a power forward and had a more traditional point guard if a lot of that problem would disappear.
I can't believe you are trying to pass off the extremely minor upticks in some counting stats as some type of improvement.

He took 1 extra FT per game...1.

He went from a pathetically bad 56% FT shooting to only a slightly less pathetic 60%.

He scored a whole 1.1 points more per game.

He rebounded a whole 0.2 more rebounds per game.

He has only a half an assist less per game.

You can interpret that as some type of improvement. Most will see that as just a normal yearly variance and say he stagnated, which is pretty much what the eye test shows.
his FTr went from 34.2 to 44.6.  That is a pretty dramatic increase don't you think? His TS% went up over 2.5% to 58.2%.  That is pretty good, no? Especially for a player in his 2nd year.  Not many 2nd year players sniff a 58% true shooting percentage.  Tatum, for example regressed significantly from year 1 to year 2 in efficiency.  Significantly.  Mitchell wasn't as efficient either.  Even someone like Fox that got a lot more efficient from year 1 to year 2 was no where near a 58 TS%.  Even many of the all time greats were no where near 58.2 TS% in year 2 (and Kobe never got there in his career).  Kyrie didn't get their untill his 4th year when Lebron joined him (lebron didn't get their until.year 6).  I get players are all different with different roles and different teams, but a guy in his second year that gets to the line nearly half the time and has a TS% over 58 should be celebrated not ridiculed because that is quite frankly awesome, especially without suffering a very typical 2nd year fade
2023 Historical Draft - Brooklyn Nets - 9th pick

Bigs - Pau, Amar'e, Issel, McGinnis, Roundfield
Wings - Dantley, Bowen, J. Jackson
Guards - Cheeks, Petrovic, Buse, Rip

Re: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)
« Reply #2000 on: May 13, 2019, 10:30:17 PM »

Offline nickagneta

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 48120
  • Tommy Points: 8794
  • President of Jaylen Brown Fan Club
It's really easy to have a 58% TS% when you take all your shots in the paint. Most good big men in the paint have TS% that are in the 60's. So in that respect, what he did isn't all that impressive. The TS% leaders are just riddled with players who take all their shots, or most of their shots, in the the paint and their %'s are all over 62%

And his great FT rate equated to one whole extra shooting foul ever other game. Put into perspective, again, not impressive or really anything to hitch the "wow he got way better" wagon to.

The guy didn't progress any. He stagnated. His numbers show more statistical variance than actual overall improvement.

Re: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)
« Reply #2001 on: May 13, 2019, 11:40:54 PM »

Offline celticsclay

  • Reggie Lewis
  • ***************
  • Posts: 15742
  • Tommy Points: 1386
It's really easy to have a 58% TS% when you take all your shots in the paint. Most good big men in the paint have TS% that are in the 60's. So in that respect, what he did isn't all that impressive. The TS% leaders are just riddled with players who take all their shots, or most of their shots, in the the paint and their %'s are all over 62%

And his great FT rate equated to one whole extra shooting foul ever other game. Put into perspective, again, not impressive or really anything to hitch the "wow he got way better" wagon to.

The guy didn't progress any. He stagnated. His numbers show more statistical variance than actual overall improvement.

Tp Nick. Couldn’t have said it better myself. Such a strange hill to die on that Simmons improved. I feel like this is some performance art I am unaware of

Re: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)
« Reply #2002 on: May 14, 2019, 12:00:11 AM »

Offline Phantom255x

  • Larry Bird
  • *****************************
  • Posts: 29510
  • Tommy Points: 2923
  • On To Banner 18!
Have they fired Brett Brown yet?  Cuz I woud have fired that hack before he got back to the lockerroom. 

That team had way too much talent to get owned in the 2nd round by inferior teams in back-to-back years.

Sorry man. But he's officially returning for next season  :P

Confirmed by Woj as well.

https://sports.yahoo.com/philadelphia-76ers-coach-brett-brown-will-return-next-season-030745610.html
"Tough times never last, but tough people do." - Robert H. Schuller

Re: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)
« Reply #2003 on: May 14, 2019, 12:34:25 AM »

Offline celticsclay

  • Reggie Lewis
  • ***************
  • Posts: 15742
  • Tommy Points: 1386
Have they fired Brett Brown yet?  Cuz I woud have fired that hack before he got back to the lockerroom. 

That team had way too much talent to get owned in the 2nd round by inferior teams in back-to-back years.

Sorry man. But he's officially returning for next season  :P

Confirmed by Woj as well.

https://sports.yahoo.com/philadelphia-76ers-coach-brett-brown-will-return-next-season-030745610.html

This move was made to appease embiid I think

Re: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)
« Reply #2004 on: May 14, 2019, 12:46:20 AM »

Offline nickagneta

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 48120
  • Tommy Points: 8794
  • President of Jaylen Brown Fan Club
Have they fired Brett Brown yet?  Cuz I woud have fired that hack before he got back to the lockerroom. 

That team had way too much talent to get owned in the 2nd round by inferior teams in back-to-back years.

Sorry man. But he's officially returning for next season  :P

Confirmed by Woj as well.

https://sports.yahoo.com/philadelphia-76ers-coach-brett-brown-will-return-next-season-030745610.html
This makes sense. I am no Brett Brown fan, I find him to be a very mediocre coach, but he was't the reason Philly lost to Toronto. Much like with the Celtics this post season, Philly lost because their best player played well below their superstar norms.

Here are his numbers in the Raptors series and his regular season stats:

Stat: Regular Season/ Toronto Series

MPG: 33.7/33.9
PPG: 27.5/17.6
RPG: 13.6/8.7
APG: 3.7/3.3
TOPG: 3.5/4.0
FG%: 48.4/37.0
FTA: 10.1/7.9
FGA: 18.7/13.1

Yes, the on/off numbers are staggeringly good but given the team dynamic of on/off numbers and the really poor bench that the Sixers have, I guess it should be expected that posted on/off numbers would be high for him.

Simply put, when your best player plays, as a total, well below his normal regular season performance, you probably could have the best coach in the world and Philly would still be out of the playoffs
« Last Edit: May 14, 2019, 12:55:34 AM by nickagneta »

Re: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)
« Reply #2005 on: May 14, 2019, 01:23:39 AM »

Offline celticsclay

  • Reggie Lewis
  • ***************
  • Posts: 15742
  • Tommy Points: 1386
Have they fired Brett Brown yet?  Cuz I woud have fired that hack before he got back to the lockerroom. 

That team had way too much talent to get owned in the 2nd round by inferior teams in back-to-back years.

Sorry man. But he's officially returning for next season  :P

Confirmed by Woj as well.

https://sports.yahoo.com/philadelphia-76ers-coach-brett-brown-will-return-next-season-030745610.html
This makes sense. I am no Brett Brown fan, I find him to be a very mediocre coach, but he was't the reason Philly lost to Toronto. Much like with the Celtics this post season, Philly lost because their best player played well below their superstar norms.

Here are his numbers in the Raptors series and his regular season stats:

Stat: Regular Season/ Toronto Series

MPG: 33.7/33.9
PPG: 27.5/17.6
RPG: 13.6/8.7
APG: 3.7/3.3
TOPG: 3.5/4.0
FG%: 48.4/37.0
FTA: 10.1/7.9
FGA: 18.7/13.1

Yes, the on/off numbers are staggeringly good but given the team dynamic of on/off numbers and the really poor bench that the Sixers have, I guess it should be expected that posted on/off numbers would be high for him.

Simply put, when your best player plays, as a total, well below his normal regular season performance, you probably could have the best coach in the world and Philly would still be out of the playoffs

To be honest I think it was a lot more Simmons being neutralized completely. Despite the ludicrous discussion on his “improvement” his numbers were down across the board in the second round for the second straight playoffs

Re: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)
« Reply #2006 on: May 14, 2019, 01:54:38 AM »

Offline LarBrd33

  • Robert Parish
  • *********************
  • Posts: 21238
  • Tommy Points: 2016
Have they fired Brett Brown yet?  Cuz I woud have fired that hack before he got back to the lockerroom. 

That team had way too much talent to get owned in the 2nd round by inferior teams in back-to-back years.

Sorry man. But he's officially returning for next season  :P

Confirmed by Woj as well.

https://sports.yahoo.com/philadelphia-76ers-coach-brett-brown-will-return-next-season-030745610.html
Good news for the Knicks and Bucks.

Re: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)
« Reply #2007 on: May 14, 2019, 01:58:36 AM »

Offline nickagneta

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 48120
  • Tommy Points: 8794
  • President of Jaylen Brown Fan Club
Have they fired Brett Brown yet?  Cuz I woud have fired that hack before he got back to the lockerroom. 

That team had way too much talent to get owned in the 2nd round by inferior teams in back-to-back years.

Sorry man. But he's officially returning for next season  :P

Confirmed by Woj as well.

https://sports.yahoo.com/philadelphia-76ers-coach-brett-brown-will-return-next-season-030745610.html
This makes sense. I am no Brett Brown fan, I find him to be a very mediocre coach, but he was't the reason Philly lost to Toronto. Much like with the Celtics this post season, Philly lost because their best player played well below their superstar norms.

Here are his numbers in the Raptors series and his regular season stats:

Stat: Regular Season/ Toronto Series

MPG: 33.7/33.9
PPG: 27.5/17.6
RPG: 13.6/8.7
APG: 3.7/3.3
TOPG: 3.5/4.0
FG%: 48.4/37.0
FTA: 10.1/7.9
FGA: 18.7/13.1

Yes, the on/off numbers are staggeringly good but given the team dynamic of on/off numbers and the really poor bench that the Sixers have, I guess it should be expected that posted on/off numbers would be high for him.

Simply put, when your best player plays, as a total, well below his normal regular season performance, you probably could have the best coach in the world and Philly would still be out of the playoffs

To be honest I think it was a lot more Simmons being neutralized completely. Despite the ludicrous discussion on his “improvement” his numbers were down across the board in the second round for the second straight playoffs
Yeah, Simmons is part of it but Embiid taking so much less shots, shooting at a much lower percentage and scoring and rebounding at levels significantly worse than his norms really hurt the Sixers.

In the playoffs, you really need your superstar to be their superstar selves. Embiid wasn't in that Toronto series. Maybe Embiid wasn't his healthiest, which could explain things. And maybe Toronto really did a great job of neutralizing him. I think it was a bit of both, but it's on Embiid to make sure he overcomes those things. He didn't.

I mean Embiid scored 10 points less and rebounded 5 rebounds less and had a half of and assist less per game vs Toronto than in the regular season. Think about that. That's the equivalent of a very good role player...10/5/1 that's like the equivalent of a player like Dwight Powell or Nemanja Bjelica
« Last Edit: May 14, 2019, 02:08:19 AM by nickagneta »

Re: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)
« Reply #2008 on: May 14, 2019, 02:31:20 AM »

Offline gouki88

  • NCE
  • Red Auerbach
  • *******************************
  • Posts: 31552
  • Tommy Points: 3141
  • 2019 & 2021 CS Historical Draft Champion
Have they fired Brett Brown yet?  Cuz I woud have fired that hack before he got back to the lockerroom. 

That team had way too much talent to get owned in the 2nd round by inferior teams in back-to-back years.

Sorry man. But he's officially returning for next season  :P

Confirmed by Woj as well.

https://sports.yahoo.com/philadelphia-76ers-coach-brett-brown-will-return-next-season-030745610.html
This makes sense. I am no Brett Brown fan, I find him to be a very mediocre coach, but he was't the reason Philly lost to Toronto. Much like with the Celtics this post season, Philly lost because their best player played well below their superstar norms.

Here are his numbers in the Raptors series and his regular season stats:

Stat: Regular Season/ Toronto Series

MPG: 33.7/33.9
PPG: 27.5/17.6
RPG: 13.6/8.7
APG: 3.7/3.3
TOPG: 3.5/4.0
FG%: 48.4/37.0
FTA: 10.1/7.9
FGA: 18.7/13.1

Yes, the on/off numbers are staggeringly good but given the team dynamic of on/off numbers and the really poor bench that the Sixers have, I guess it should be expected that posted on/off numbers would be high for him.

Simply put, when your best player plays, as a total, well below his normal regular season performance, you probably could have the best coach in the world and Philly would still be out of the playoffs

To be honest I think it was a lot more Simmons being neutralized completely. Despite the ludicrous discussion on his “improvement” his numbers were down across the board in the second round for the second straight playoffs
Yeah, Simmons is part of it but Embiid taking so much less shots, shooting at a much lower percentage and scoring and rebounding at levels significantly worse than his norms really hurt the Sixers.

In the playoffs, you really need your superstar to be their superstar selves. Embiid wasn't in that Toronto series. Maybe Embiid wasn't his healthiest, which could explain things. And maybe Toronto really did a great job of neutralizing him. I think it was a bit of both, but it's on Embiid to make sure he overcomes those things. He didn't.

I mean Embiid scored 10 points less and rebounded 5 rebounds less and had a half of and assist less per game vs Toronto than in the regular season. Think about that. That's the equivalent of a very good role player...10/5/1 that's like the equivalent of a player like Dwight Powell or Nemanja Bjelica
I think there are pretty much 3 key reasons.

1) Simmons being a continual no-show come the big games. Game 6 was the literal only game of the series where Simmons wasn't flat out bad. Plus Leonard flat out embarrassed him when Simmons tried to defend him.

2) Embiid seems to break down at the end of seasons. He doesn't really have any tank to write home about, reportedly his diet is bad and he's had a history of injuries. That is a bad bad combination.

3) Gasol is a great defender of Embiid.
Quote
Through five games of the series — which the Raptors lead 3-2 — Gasol has matched up with Embiid on 201 possessions, holding him to just 21 points per 100 possessions. That’s a significant dip from Embiid’s season average of 37 points per 100 possessions.

If you think those numbers are obscured by Embiid’s recent upper respiratory problem, consider this: Over the past two seasons (which is as far back as the NBA’s matchup data goes), Gasol has played against Embiid on nine separate occasions (including the regular season and this year’s playoffs). During that stretch, the two have matched up on a total of 379 possessions. Embiid averages just 19 points per 100 possessions when Gasol is his primary defender, by far his lowest average against anyone who has guarded him on at least 100 possessions.

per https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/marc-gasol-is-joel-embiids-kryptonite/
'23 Historical Draft: Orlando Magic.

PG: Terry Porter (90-91) / Steve Francis (00-01)
SG: Joe Dumars (92-93) / Jeff Hornacek (91-92) / Jerry Stackhouse (00-01)
SF: Brandon Roy (08-09) / Walter Davis (78-79)
PF: Terry Cummings (84-85) / Paul Millsap (15-16)
C: Chris Webber (00-01) / Ralph Sampson (83-84) / Andrew Bogut (09-10)

Re: All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)
« Reply #2009 on: May 14, 2019, 01:29:35 PM »

Offline celticsclay

  • Reggie Lewis
  • ***************
  • Posts: 15742
  • Tommy Points: 1386
Have they fired Brett Brown yet?  Cuz I woud have fired that hack before he got back to the lockerroom. 

That team had way too much talent to get owned in the 2nd round by inferior teams in back-to-back years.

Sorry man. But he's officially returning for next season  :P

Confirmed by Woj as well.

https://sports.yahoo.com/philadelphia-76ers-coach-brett-brown-will-return-next-season-030745610.html
This makes sense. I am no Brett Brown fan, I find him to be a very mediocre coach, but he was't the reason Philly lost to Toronto. Much like with the Celtics this post season, Philly lost because their best player played well below their superstar norms.

Here are his numbers in the Raptors series and his regular season stats:

Stat: Regular Season/ Toronto Series

MPG: 33.7/33.9
PPG: 27.5/17.6
RPG: 13.6/8.7
APG: 3.7/3.3
TOPG: 3.5/4.0
FG%: 48.4/37.0
FTA: 10.1/7.9
FGA: 18.7/13.1

Yes, the on/off numbers are staggeringly good but given the team dynamic of on/off numbers and the really poor bench that the Sixers have, I guess it should be expected that posted on/off numbers would be high for him.

Simply put, when your best player plays, as a total, well below his normal regular season performance, you probably could have the best coach in the world and Philly would still be out of the playoffs

To be honest I think it was a lot more Simmons being neutralized completely. Despite the ludicrous discussion on his “improvement” his numbers were down across the board in the second round for the second straight playoffs
Yeah, Simmons is part of it but Embiid taking so much less shots, shooting at a much lower percentage and scoring and rebounding at levels significantly worse than his norms really hurt the Sixers.

In the playoffs, you really need your superstar to be their superstar selves. Embiid wasn't in that Toronto series. Maybe Embiid wasn't his healthiest, which could explain things. And maybe Toronto really did a great job of neutralizing him. I think it was a bit of both, but it's on Embiid to make sure he overcomes those things. He didn't.

I mean Embiid scored 10 points less and rebounded 5 rebounds less and had a half of and assist less per game vs Toronto than in the regular season. Think about that. That's the equivalent of a very good role player...10/5/1 that's like the equivalent of a player like Dwight Powell or Nemanja Bjelica
I think there are pretty much 3 key reasons.

1) Simmons being a continual no-show come the big games. Game 6 was the literal only game of the series where Simmons wasn't flat out bad. Plus Leonard flat out embarrassed him when Simmons tried to defend him.

2) Embiid seems to break down at the end of seasons. He doesn't really have any tank to write home about, reportedly his diet is bad and he's had a history of injuries. That is a bad bad combination.

3) Gasol is a great defender of Embiid.
Quote
Through five games of the series — which the Raptors lead 3-2 — Gasol has matched up with Embiid on 201 possessions, holding him to just 21 points per 100 possessions. That’s a significant dip from Embiid’s season average of 37 points per 100 possessions.

If you think those numbers are obscured by Embiid’s recent upper respiratory problem, consider this: Over the past two seasons (which is as far back as the NBA’s matchup data goes), Gasol has played against Embiid on nine separate occasions (including the regular season and this year’s playoffs). During that stretch, the two have matched up on a total of 379 possessions. Embiid averages just 19 points per 100 possessions when Gasol is his primary defender, by far his lowest average against anyone who has guarded him on at least 100 possessions.

per https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/marc-gasol-is-joel-embiids-kryptonite/

Pretty interesting stats on Embid. Although it does seem like he has some really bad habits (the shamet story on his milkshakes was mind blowing), I do actually think Embid is a very hard worker and has a chance to improve. Even his comments at the end of the season seemed to indicate that. Simmons on the other hand has always been too cool for school and seems to think he is already a superstar (which would also seem to be supported by him not improving at all between his first ands second season of play.