Drew Hanlen has described Joel Embiid as one of the most dedicated film students in the NBA, while acknowledging that he regularly pushes the Philadelphia 76ers star to take greater care of his diet, conditioning and weight-room work.
Hanlen, the CEO of Pure Sweat Basketball and a longtime skills coach for Embiid, said the All-Star center’s commitment to studying the game is unusual even among elite NBA players.
“I’m the one that always tells Joel, ‘Hey, let’s be more serious with your diet, let’s be more serious with your weight room, let’s be more serious with your conditioning,’” Hanlen said on No Hesitation with Sophie Cunningham & Drew Hanlen, via HoopsHype.
However, Hanlen emphasized that Embiid’s work ethic on the basketball side is not something he questions.
“As a basketball player, Joel watches more film than anybody. Joel also has put in more work than anybody,” Hanlen said.
Hanlen illustrated that dedication with an example of the conversations he has with Embiid during the NBA season. The 76ers center will sometimes contact his coach after watching a game and point out a specific action that he believes could help Philadelphia.
“He’ll FaceTime me and be like, ‘Yo, did you just see the inbound play that so and so ran at 2:37 mark in the third quarter?’” Hanlen said. “And I’m like, ‘No,’ he’s like, ‘I think that’d be really good, clip that and send it to coach.’ I’m like, ‘He’s a sicko in a great way.’”
That level of film study has been a notable part of Embiid’s development throughout his NBA career. The former MVP has evolved from a promising young center into one of the league’s most versatile offensive players, combining post scoring, face-up attacks, playmaking and three-point shooting.
Embiid averaged a career-high 33.1 points per game during his 2022-23 MVP season while shooting 54.8% from the field and 85.7% from the free-throw line. He followed that with 34.7 points per game in 39 appearances in 2023-24.
Health and availability, however, have remained significant factors throughout Embiid’s career. He played 19 games in 2024-25 before returning for 38 games in 2025-26, when he averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 31.6 minutes per game.
Embiid also shot 48.9% from the field, 33.3% from three-point range and 85.4% from the free-throw line last season.
The 2026-27 season presents a different challenge for Embiid and Philadelphia following a major offseason overhaul. The 76ers acquired Jaylen Brown from Boston and signed LeBron James to a minimum-salary contract, joining Embiid with Tyrese Maxey and creating a four-star core.
