'I Wouldn't Say It's Easy': Joel Embiid on Facing Off Against Victor Wenbanyama

The reigning MVP spoke about his match-up against Victor Wenbanyama.
'I Wouldn't Say It's Easy': Joel Embiid on Facing Off Against Victor Wenbanyama
'I Wouldn't Say It's Easy': Joel Embiid on Facing Off Against Victor Wenbanyama /

On Monday night, the Philadelphia 76ers welcomed the San Antonio Spurs into the Wells Fargo Center, giving the world their first look at reigning MVP Joel Embiid and the first overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, Victor Wenbanyama.

The first thing that sticks out to a lot of people is Wenbanyama's height, with the Frenchman standing at 7'4", with an eight-foot wingspan, which was enough to even make Embiid, who stands at 7'0" feel small.

"I walked past him and I was like 'I thought I was tall' and the dude is just towering over me," explained Embiid.

The Cameroonian superstar went on to drop a career-high 70 points against the rising star, who managed to put up 33 points of his own.

Following the Sixers' win, Embiid took time to break down his preparations for guarding Wenbanyama, which he said was quite a tall task, no pun intended.

"When I do watch the games. I usually imagine myself, you know, just playing against him..." opened Embiid, "Obviously, the length he's extremely tall, but I wouldn't say it's easy.

Those watching Monday night's spectacle may have noticed that Embiid was taking more time with his shot, utilizing his handles in an attempt to break down his opponent, rather than opting for a catch-and-shoot style.

The 28-year-old explained that this was more so on his end of things, rather than in a response to Wenbanyama's length.

"I had a few hesi-pull jumpers, the rest was really on me, I don't know what I was doing honestly, half of the time, instead of just shooting the ball," said Embiid, "I was just taking my time and wasting time when I could have just got the ball and shot it, so that was more about me than his length..."

As the reigning MVP explains, the "hesi-pull" shot is used to fake out his opponents, forcing them to make their move defensively, which sometimes allows him to breeze past them to the rim.

"I have a pretty good sense of how to use the hesi-pull to make sure that whenever I shoot it," started the 28-year-old, "I either catch whoever is guarding me flat-footed, so they don't have a chance to recover, or I just can go by them."

It will be some time before Embiid and Wenbanyama face off against eachother for their respective sides, as the two won't meet until April 7 towards the end of the season.


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Declan Harris
DECLAN HARRIS

Declan Harris is a writer for FanNation's All76ers powered by Sports Illustrated Media Group. In addition to his role covering the Sixers, Declan also writes for CityXtra, covering Manchester City F.C. He is a 2023 Temple University Lew Klein School of Media and Communications graduate.