Will Joel Embiid be able to deliver now when needed the most? The Sixers may not be in a do-or-die situation, but they have a chance at avoiding such situations. Notably, the Sixers will face the Miami Heat in the game. The losing team will have one more shot at playoffs, while the winner gets a confirmed berth as 7th seed. Fans will look out for the Heat’s Jimmy Butler aka Playoff Jimmy in this race to playoffs. But most eyes will be set on Joel Embiid, who is most likely to return from knee injury recovery. However, Shaquille O’Neal believes there is one factor that could be Embiid’s weakness.

“He’s been playing great but the odds are against him ever since the injury. He playing great he can’t afford to have a bad game… I think it would be the Heat’s defense that could force him into having a bad game,” Shaquille O’Neal stated, appearing on NBA TNT. It is worth mentioning that though Joel Embiid has played just 39 games this season, he has delivered maximum output.

He finished the 2023-24 season as the player with the highest points per game. He also has the second highest score (70 points) in a game this season. However, Shaquille O’Neal’s claim that Embiid’s performance has been affected after his return from the knee surgery cannot completely be denied. Before dropping off, the Sixers star had averaged 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. After making a return after almost 8 weeks, Joel has so far averaged 30.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.

Though these stats are still impressive enough, fans will hope the Sixers star to be at his peak during these deciding moments for the team against the Heat.

Analyzing Shaquille O’Neal’s claim on Heat’s defense

It is worth mentioning that as per NBA stats, Miami Heat is among the top 5 teams this season in terms of defense rating. And it is among the top 3 teams in Eastern Conference this season in defense rating. The Heat has been known to have a strong zone defense, which it uses to slow teams down.

Meanwhile, as per Yahoo Sports, Tyrese Maxey has stated the Sixers will have to attack the zone defense by Miami. “They know their principles and they stick to their principles… You gotta be able to attack the zone. The zone is made to slow you down, make you think. You gotta get in the gaps and find somebody to flash in the high post and get somebody in the dunker spot and it becomes easier to beat,” he said.

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However, the Heat, as a team, tends to switch between zone and man-to-man defense. Therefore, considering Joel Embiid shows up in the play-in game, it will be an interesting phenomenon to witness as Embiid’s offensive prowess clashes with the Heat’s defense.