Page 11 - Joel Embiid Development Plan

Problem #2: Footwork going into the shot
It looks like Joel like to step into his shot left-right. If that is comfortable to him, this is not something to be changed. I do not think there is an absolute truth on how to shoot. There are some non-negotiables but I don’t think everyone can shoot the exact same. Therefore, when tweaking with a player’s shot, there is some guessing, educated guessing but guessing still. As we discussed earlier, it is harder for 7 footers to find great balance. Balance starts with the feet since it is what connects the player to the ground. One thing that we have had success with to improve balance and limit extra movement of the body with bigs is to make sure both of their heels hit the ground. We found that players have less balance by standing on the front of their foot only. Smaller players can get away with it and it can help getting their shots off quicker, but for players as big as Joel, it is worth trying to get both heels on the ground first to gain better balance before the shot. The clip below is one example of him not putting his right heel down on the floor on the catch. It leads to a twist and lack of balance.
It is hard to see it at game speed. Here is a picture of Joel loading up to shoot. His right heel is way off the ground, while his left heel is barely coming up. It is almost impossible to generate the same power in both legs this way. This position does not look comfortable.
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