"I'm starting to figure it out - figure out my spots, where I should be on the court, where I'm most effective, and how I handle double teams - and it's paying off"
About this Quote
“Figure out my spots” is basketball code for turning chaos into geometry. Great scorers don’t just beat you; they herd you. Embiid is talking about the difference between taking shots and manufacturing inevitability, knowing which elbow touch triggers the defense’s panic, which block angle forces help, which face-up dribble makes the second defender commit too early. It’s the craft version of power.
The most revealing clause is “how I handle double teams.” That’s the tax a defense charges for fear, and it’s also the test that separates a scorer from an offensive ecosystem. Double teams are less about stopping your points than forcing you into rushed decisions that flatten the whole offense. Embiid’s subtext: I’m learning to punish the attention, not just survive it - to read, pass, re-post, and make the second and third options lethal.
“And it’s paying off” lands like a quiet receipt. In a league that treats results as destiny, he’s insisting they’re earned - not by grit slogans, but by precision, patience, and a smarter relationship with the trap.
Quote Details
| Topic | Sports |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Embiid, Joel. (2026, January 30). I'm starting to figure it out - figure out my spots, where I should be on the court, where I'm most effective, and how I handle double teams - and it's paying off. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-starting-to-figure-it-out-figure-out-my-184809/
Chicago Style
Embiid, Joel. "I'm starting to figure it out - figure out my spots, where I should be on the court, where I'm most effective, and how I handle double teams - and it's paying off." FixQuotes. January 30, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-starting-to-figure-it-out-figure-out-my-184809/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I'm starting to figure it out - figure out my spots, where I should be on the court, where I'm most effective, and how I handle double teams - and it's paying off." FixQuotes, 30 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-starting-to-figure-it-out-figure-out-my-184809/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.