"I was locking his a** up" - Joel Embiid throws major shade at Tobias Harris as 76ers gear up for playoffs

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers ramped up their practice in preparation for their first playoff game against the Toronto Raptors, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com reported:

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Neubeck corrected himself, and what Joel actually said was:

"I was locking his a** up"

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Tobias Harris has taken a step back since the Ben Simmons-James Harden trade. Harris averaged 18.7 points per game on 48.4% shooting before the trade. He has averaged 14.3 ppg on 47.7% shooting since the trade.

What's intriguing is that his 3-point percentage has gone up significantly: from 34.5% before the trade to 40% after the trade. His attempts are also up. All of that might have something to do with Harris accounting for Seth Curry's absence.

Joel Embiid & Co.'s rocky road in the postseason

James Harden and the 76ers perhaps face the most pressure in the postseason, owing to the narrative surrounding Harden. If the 76ers fail to make a great run this year, they might not have a chance as good as this again.

Embiid has a history of injuries, so getting a healthy Embiid, let alone an MVP-candidate Embiid, is something that might not happen every year. The Harden trade served this exact purpose: to not let Embiid's season go to waste while doing away with Ben Simmons.

Harden's performances have raised plenty of questions, but Harden reportedly feels no pressure:

“I don’t (have anything to prove) … I don’t feel any pressure, I don’t feel any of that. ... For me, it’s going out there and playing my game, trying to help my team win.” (h/t) Complex

The success of the 76ers primarily depends on Embiid-Harden's pick and roll. Without their best role players in Andre Drummond and Seth Curry, much of the scoring pressure gets shifted onto Embiid and Harden. Drummond and Curry were packaged to the Brooklyn Nets with Simmons for Harden.

As for their defense, the 76ers rank 12th in defensive rating, with the best defenders often being Embiid guarding the rim and Matisse Thybulle on the wing. On fivethirtyeight's Defensive RAPTOR scale, both Embiid and Thybulle boast impressive scores of +3.8 and +4.1.

The 76ers face the Toronto Raptors in the first round, starting Saturday. When the series shifts to Toronto on Wednesday, Thybulle will not be able to travel because he is not fully vaccinated. Hs absence will be felt more than ever. He is, according to the most refined statistical measure, the best defender on the Philadelphia roster.