Jazz Forward Sounds Off on Joel Embiid's 'Favorable' Calls

Utah Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt has something to say about Sunday night's refs.

Utah Jazz starting forward Jarred Vanderbilt didn’t mince words when asked about the friendly whistle that MVP candidate Joel Embiid received in the Philadelphia 76ers' 105-98 win on Sunday.

“When anybody’s in a zone like that, it’s tough to stop,” Vanderbilt said. “He had a lot of favorable calls, too, so he shot a lot of free throws and helped get him in a rhythm. So he’s seeing the ball go through the hoop a lot of times. At that point, it’s tough when somebody sees the ball go through that many times. They’re shooting it in an ocean at that point.”

Embiid shot more free throws than the whole Jazz team combined, making 20-24 attempts on his way to a 59-point performance. That's the game within the game in a league where ratings are driven by NBA superstars' performance, and keeping elites on the court is good for business.

Vanderbilt may also be speaking out of frustration as his 3.69 fouls per game ranks sixth in the league, while his teammate Kelly Olynyk is No. 1 with 4.33. The newly acquired forward from Minnesota is Utah’s best wing defender and needs to stay aggressive to be effective, but also needs to avoid the unnecessary fouling that’s gotten him in trouble. 

It’s a fine line for a player without the name recognition that’s sometimes needed to get the benefit of the doubt on the 50-50 calls. During the last road trip, Vanderbilt only committed eight fouls over three games, although that had more to do with Jazz head coach Will Hardy decreasing his minutes to just 19 per game.

The subject probably doesn’t come up if Utah would’ve made its free throws, as the Jazz only hit 13-for-23 from the charity stripe in Sunday’s loss. Embiid shooting 83% was the difference in a seven-point win for the 76ers.

Vanderbilt and Olynyk’s fouling woes will be something to keep an eye on as we get deeper into the season. 

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