Drew Hanlen cites Joel Embiid's 45 ppg against Nikola Jokic since 2023 to address 'ducking' narrative: "We kind of laugh about it" (Exclusive)

It seemed inevitable that Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid would defend his regular-season MVP award.

He led the NBA in scoring. He stayed on pace to become the first NBA player since Wilt Chamberlain to average more in points than in minutes played. And following James Harden’s departure, Embiid ensured the Sixers did not experience any hiccups.

“He was playing the best basketball of his life,” Drew Hanlen, Embiid’s trainer, told Sportskeeda.

And then Embiid tore a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee, an injury that sidelined his him for two months, derailed his MVP chances and diminished the Sixers from a viable title contender into a Play-In team.

No surprise then that Joel Embiid said recently that his latest injury “took a toll mentally.” With the seventh-seeded Sixers (47-35) entering Wednesday’s Play-In game against the No. 8 Miami Heat (46-36) with an eight-game winning streak, however, Embiid could write a comeback story.

“We looked at it from the opposite lens. We said, ‘When you’re healthy, you’re the best basketball player in the world,’” Hanlen told Sportskeeda. “Hopefully one of these years, you get a healthy postseason run so you can show people what you’re capable of having.’ That’s the focus we shined the light on.”

Drew Hanlen interview on Joel Embiid

Hanlen spoke to Sportskeeda about Embiid’s injury, addressing the criticism that he has ‘ducked’ Nikola Jokic in select games, why the chemistry between Embiid and Tyrese Maxey blossomed and more.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

How’s Embiid holding up with his injury?

Drew Hanlen:

“It’s good. Obviously, there’s never a good time for an injury. But he was able to spend two months rehabbing and doing all of the right things. He’s come back and played well in the games that he’s been back. We’re hoping that all of his hard pays off, and that he’s finally able to have a post-season run.”

He said the injury took a toll on him mentally. What did you see?

Drew Hanlen:

“Joel was having one of the best seasons of all time. He was averaging 36 [points], 12 [rebounds] and six [assists] while also being one of the best defensive players in the world. His efficiency was through the roof. The Sixers were 31-8 when he played this season. When you’re having a historic season, it’s unfortunate. When you look back at his rookie season, he would’ve easily won Rookie of the Year. But he gets hurt after 31 games. Malcolm Brogdon won Rookie of the Year that year. But Joel would’ve had to average under two points a game for the rest of the games for him and Brogdon to finish with the same average. Brogdon was over 12 points, and Joel was under 20. Joel won Rookie of the Year, but his season got derailed with an injury."

"In 2021, the Sixers were a No. 1 seed and Joel would’ve been a clear-cut MVP. But he hyperextends his leg coming down on a rebound and that cost him an MVP. This year, he would’ve had back-to-back-to-back scoring titles and another MVP. But that gets thrown away due to injuries. Not to mention the two times he had to wear a mask in the postseason, and the countless times he was injured and there was something else in the postseason. It's unfortunate when you put in a ton of work on and off the court that things that are somewhat out of your control derail your season. You felt like this year he was playing the best basketball of his life. That got taken away from him due to another random injury."

"But we looked at it from the opposite lens. We said, ‘When you’re healthy, you’re the best basketball player in the world. Hopefully one of these years, you get a healthy postseason run so you can show people what you’re capable of having.’ That’s the focus we shined the light on. Injuries never make sense. But unfortunately, injuries have been a huge part of his career to this point. We’re hoping that this time around that he gets a healthy post-season run. That’s what he wanted. Last year I made headlines, and it was true. Joel told me. When he got the postseason last year, he said, ‘I would give back my MVP to have a post-season run.’ In a full-circle moment this year, he gave back the MVP. He had a chance to possibly be unanimous with the way he was playing. Hopefully he gets the healthy post-season run that he’s been after.”

What do you think of the criticism that Joel Embiid has been ducking [Nikola] Jokic in past few seasons?

Drew Hanlen:

“We just kind of laugh about it. He’s played Jokic two times in the last two years and he had 47 [points], 18 [rebounds] and five [assists on Jan. 28, 2023. On Jan. 16, 2024], he had 41 [points], 10 [assists] and seven [rebounds]. I don’t know why you would duck somebody that you’re averaging 45, 13 and eight against. If you look at Joel versus other big guys, he’s just dominated them. He had 70 against Victor [Wembanyama]. You look at him versus Rudy Gobert. I don’t know his exact numbers, but he had around 51 [points], 12 [rebounds], and three [assists] on Dec. 20, 2023."

"The game before that [on March 7, 2023], he had 39 [points], seven [rebounds] and four [assists]. Then he had a game [on March 3, 2021] where he had 40 [points], 19 [rebounds] and three [assists]. If you look at him versus Anthony Davis, this year [on Nov. 27, 2023] he had a 30-point triple double against him and didn’t play in the fourth quarter [30 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds]. He had 38 [points], 12 [rebounds] and five [assists] the game before that [on Dec. 9. 2022]. Joel loves playing the best big guys in the world. Any time he’s healthy enough to play against them, he’s going to be out there.”

Where do you rank Embiid’s 70-point game compared to his other accomplishments?

Drew Hanlen:

“I always gave him trouble because I’ve had Bradley Beal and Jayson Tatum both score 60 [points]. Joel’s previous career-high was 59. So I used to always give him trouble and say he’s scared of 60. He would say, ‘One of these days I’m going to go out there and go crazy.’ To score 70 points in any game? It doesn’t matter if it’s a rec game. That’s impressive. Also against somebody that’s going to finish first or second in Defensive Player of the Year (voting)? Wemby is looking like he has the chance to become one of the all-timers, if he keeps improving at the rate he’s improving. That makes it even more of a cool feat.”

What most impressed you about Joel’s game that night?

Drew Hanlen

“That he was still was making the right plays. He wasn’t forcing anything. You see a lot of players when they have their shot going or putting up big numbers, they stop playing the right way. But he continued to pass and find his teammates. He played the right way. That’s the biggest thing that impressed me the most.”

How do you compare how Joel Embiid played with James Harden versus with Tyrese Maxey?

Drew Hanlen:

“The biggest difference between this year’s 76ers team is that it plays through Joel more and plays more of a free-flowing multiple action type offense. Last year, they relied more heavily on high pick-and-rolls between James and Joel or straight post-ups with Joel. I think it is a different offensive scheme. I think it’s allowed Joel to kind of showcase his playmaking ability more. I also think it’s been a little bit more unpredictable. That has allowed Joel to take advantage of all of his strengths as well.”

Joel Embiid is always going to be a great player. But why did Maxey adjust so well to be able to slide in at the No. 2 role?

Drew Hanlen:

“I started working out Maxey full time this summer. It was good to be able to have them in the same workouts. It was funny. Here’s a good one for you. At the start of the season, Joel kept telling me, ‘Make sure you’re working on pocket passes with Maxey.’ He really thought James was really good with those short-roll pocket passes. I was in Philadelphia, and I was talking to Maxey and showing him film. I literally showed him a 15-minute edit of just the two-man game between James and Joel as well as JJ Redick and Joel. JJ Redick was really good off the handoffs. James was really good off the pick-and-rolls. Maxey asked me if he could come and just be a passer at Joel’s workouts. Instead of me throwing short-roll passes, Maxey was passing just so we could get a good feel for it. Then we were able to talk through different nuances. How to let the ball hang; how to deliver the ball to pass it backwards instead of forward; how to engage the defender. All of those little nuances that go into being a good playmaker off the screen."

"We’ve also done multiple film edits throughout the year with those two together. They’re in group chats together. They sit next to each other in the locker room. There are a ton of things that went into those two guys playing well together. But ultimately, it’s two really good players that love the game of basketball and really crave improvement. They also really like each other as people and have figured out ways to work together to win.”

You’ve said that you and Joel Embiid spent a lot of time on his hook shot and floater game to prepare for Nick Nurse’s offense. What did that work look like?

Drew Hanlen:

“We’ve always wanted to emphasize getting easier baskets around the rim. Then we’ve also wanted to emphasize more catch-and-shoot 3s because he’s a really good shooter from beyond the arc. The problem has been casual fans will say ‘Joel is a seven-footer; he just needs to get by the basket.’ But the casual fan doesn’t realize that the offense and the players have to get him the ball near the basket for that strategy to work. In past years, he hasn’t had teammates that have been able to get him the ball in those positions. So adding a passer like [Nicolas] Batum and a screener like Kyle Lowry and cutters like Kelly Oubre, those things have really opened up his ability to get good catches and also be able to take advantage of teams when they double team him.”

You’ve also seen Joel Embiid as a film junkie. What are the best examples of that?

Drew Hanlen:

“Joel watches more film than anyone I’ve ever been around. He watches everybody. It could be a random Wednesday night on League Pass, and it’s Charlotte vs. Atlanta and he’ll text me. He’ll say, ‘Hey, did you see that play, that ATO at the four-minute mark of the third quarter?’ I’m like, ‘No, I’m not watching. I have no clients in that game. Why would I be watching that game?’ Then he’d say, ‘Well, clip it up. I like that play. I think we can use that.’ He watches every game that he possibly can. While he’s getting treatment, he’s on his phone watching League Pass. While he’s in the cold plunge, he’s watching League Pass. He’s literally watching games at all times. We steal as much as we can from other teams and players. That’s the never-ending process of trying to become the best version of yourself. His favorite players to watch are the Kobes and Michaels. He loves Kevin Durant, Hakeem [Olajuwon] and Shaq. We literally steal from the past and present all the time.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.