A lot of strange stuff happened in the 76ers’ 119-113 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on New Year’s night. There was a skirmish between Joel Embiid and Patrick Beverley, after which Embiid paid Beverley some respect. There was a shoving match between Jimmy Butler and Avery Bradley later in the fourth quarter, which got both players ejected. We got Ben Simmons sealing the game with this dastardly bit of trickery.
‘Rebound jousting’ is an NBA epidemic that’s not stopping anytime soon
Joel Embiid cursing out Ben Simmons for hitting him in the face is the latest example of a rising trend. Here’s why we see it more.
But I want to talk about this particular moment in the third quarter, because it illustrates a trend that’s becoming more and more common. Let’s call it “rebound jousting.”
What’s happening here?
Bradley missed an open three, and both Embiid and Simmons went for the board. Embiid was closer to it, but Simmons instinctively flew in and slammed Embiid in the face while reaching for the ball.
Embiid grabbed the board and immediately cursed while falling out of bounds. As he stayed in the backcourt, the 76ers called timeout. The camera panned back to Joel, who was caught shouting “WHAT IS HE DOING FIGHTING FOR A F****G REBOUND” on the hot mic. That’s clearly directed at Simmons for endangering Embiid’s face on a rebound the Sixers were going to claim easily.
Does this reveal some HUGE RIFT between the 76ers’ two franchise players?
Nope, settle down. Here’s what Embiid said after the game.
Embiid is referring to the orbital bone fracture that kept him out of the end of last year’s regular season.
Even independent of that, you try staying calm in the moment when a teammate smacks you in the face. Frustration is understandable, especially for a hyper-competitive dude like Embiid. It doesn’t mean he hates Simmons forever.
So why’d Simmons go for that board anyway?
The 76ers’ broadcast suggested that Marcin Gortat pushed Embiid into Simmons, causing the collision. I’ve seen Marcin Gortat’s work up close, and yes, he does have a reputation for subtle shoves in the back on rebounds. (I remember Taj Gibson telling me about Gortat’s dark arts during the Bulls-Wizards 2014 first-round playoff series). But I can’t spot much of anything there, even if I slow down the video.
Stat padding is often a culprit in situations like these, hence the more common term of “rebound stealing” that is often associated with these situations.
But it’s hard for me to see this as a case of two guys wanting to improve their stats. That board would have been Simmons’ ninth of the game, It was Embiid’s ninth. There were nine and a half minutes in the third quarter, which would’ve given both plenty of time to get to double digits.
The most likely explanation is the simplest and most boring: two guys who just so happen to be the franchise’s two pillars went for the ball, and shit happened. Embiid wanted that board because he’s a big man that loves to play like one. Simmons wanted that board because it would’ve kick-started another fast break, where he’s at his best. It was an accident.
But rebound jousting is an accident happening more often around the league
Teammates “rebound jousting” with each has become more and more common, but I’ve never seen it more than this year.
The most visible example was when DeAndre Jordan damn near ran over Luka Doncic chasing for this board.
This spawned a mini-controversy in Dallas, with ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reporting the moment was a poignant example of how Jordan “has rubbed teammates the wrong way with what they perceive as selfish play.” Rick Carlisle even admitted it was “over the top” and later “addressed” with Jordan.
But there are more mundane examples of rebound jousting every night in the Association if you watch closely enough. I’ve been taking note when I see it happen in the games I watch. Here are just a few examples, pulled at random from my notebooks:
Last I checked, there’s no secret beef between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Patrick Beverley; or Tony Snell and D.J. Wilson; or Al-Farouq Aminu and C.J. McCollum. These things just happen, at increasing regularity.
But why so much this year?
My theory is simple:
- Teams are trying to push the ball, and the quickest way to get it up the floor is to grab it and just go. (Russell Westbrook pioneered this approach to hilarious degrees during his MVP season).
- As a response to that (and before it as well), fewer teams actually try to get offensive rebounds.
Let’s unpack that second point. With teams prioritizing transition defense more than ever, league-wide offensive rebounding has dwindled. In 2003-04, 24 of the 29 teams snagged more than 30 percent of their misses. This season, only five have. Last year, only two did. Denver’s league-leading 32 percent mark would have been 16th in 2003-04.
With pace up and actual contested rebounds way down, that leaves tons more rebounds that only one team is trying to get. And when only one team is trying to get those rebounds — and get them quickly to push the ball back at their opponent, at that — there’s a rapidly increasing chance the only obstacle in the way is a teammate. Hence, the rise in rebound jousting.
This is a weird quirk that’s not going away anytime soon, so get used to it instead of wondering if every moment like the Embiid-Simmons one reveals something deeper.
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