Joel Embiid: Are You In or Out?
What, Joel?
“I got to spend a lot of time at the three-point line, just to make sure there’s some spacing, ‘Get in the post!’ … You’ve got to find that balance. It’s not about me, it’s about the team.” – Joel Embiid, per NBA on ESPN.
WHAT, Joel? You’re a 7-foot center, and you… need to waste possessions at the three-point line? For the good of the order? How noble of you!
This comes from the same guy who walked off the court at Scotiabank Arena in a pool of his own tears, followed by preseason proclamations about his transformation into a mature, bonafide upper-echelon NBA talent. No more postgame social media trash talk. No more airplane celebrations or shimmying at half-court. The 2019-20 Joel Embiid would transcend expectations, bring home the NBA’s Most Valuable Player trophy to the City of Brotherly Love, and finally parade down Broad St. This, according to the man himself.
Fast-forward a month (four games into the season) and the same person who claimed to be Kareem 2.0 received a two-game suspension for brawling with Karl-Anthony Towns, up double-digits – seemingly, just because. He then trolled KAT on Instagram, even invoking his mother (not cool), which arguably motivated the two-game suspension versus a slap on the wrist.
Weeks later, the Sixers All-Star center went scoreless – yes, scoreless – versus the Toronto Raptors in a highly-anticipated Eastern Conference Semifinals rematch (resulting in a deflating L for the 76ers). The team needed his energy in the ensuing weeks heading into a December home-stretch against objectively inferior opponents. Instead, he deposited average offensive numbers while publicly stating he ‘hadn’t been having fun [on the court]’.
But that didn’t stop him from showing up ready to play against the Bucks on Christmas Day on national television. He bankrolled 31 points against the NBA’s best team in convincing fashion. Celebrations and all.
The team subsequently suffered crippling losses to start 2020 with Joel spending more time next to Brett Brown on the bench and appearing to be completely disengaged during postgame interviews. He gets hurt weeks later, spends time away from the team rehabbing (unsurprisingly, Ben Simmons finally starts consistently producing in his absence), returns to the team, they dropped four straight games, and he starts passive-aggressively complaining (again!) about not fitting into the offense.
Joel is becoming a broken record – and quickly. He’s played in just 193 total games in his career and averaged slightly over 24 points per game.
JoJo’s inconsistency is no different this season, posting averages less than his career numbers and missing nearly a quarter of the season due to ‘load management’ and injury.
The jovial antics are harmless and fun, especially for a fan base intentionally deprived of good basketball for what felt like centuries. If that’s who Joel Embiid is as a player – fine, no problem. He needs to do whatever he needs to do to stay focused and to motivate himself. But he can’t have his cake and eat it, too. Either have fun while playing hard, be who you are, assert yourself as a leader of this team, and dominate on the court. Or, alternatively, shut up, play hard while sticking to the coach’s gameplan, and don’t complain postgame about how you are sacrificing so much for this team by not taking your shots because you are ‘spacing the floor’.
Most importantly, don’t use the ladder as a scapegoat for terrible or lazy play. It’s insulting to an intelligent, passionate, and loyal fan base. Especially when your underwhelming play is coupled with the attitude of a 5-year old. Grow up and learn how to sit at the adult table. You can’t just decide when to turn it on and when to point fingers at teammates or the coaching staff whenever you aren’t pulling your weight. You need to decide what type of player you want to be in this league, for this franchise – and for this city.
A frustrated fan, disappointed most of all by the lack of maturity in an all-All-Star center with the raw materials to be the best big man in NBA history. He can impose his will like a 12-year veteran whenever he wants, but lacks the fortitude to see the forest from the trees and constantly refuses to step up.
You deserve better, Joel. The NBA deserves better. We – the fans – need more from you.
So, what’s it going to be: Are you in or are you out?
Featured Image: @ESPNNBA
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