Seeing Joel Embiid at the free-throw line is quite a common sight. But what isn’t common is what he did last night after one particular free throw. During the 76ers‘ game against the Grizzlies, Embiid was at the stripe taking a free throw. After taking the shot, Embiid motioned in a flop-like fashion, despite no one touching him.
This exaggerated motion was bizarre to see. Not only did no one make contact with him, but none of the Grizzles, or even 76ers players were close enough to him for Embiid to even simulate contact. It was truly a strange moment in the game.
It doesn’t appear to be a part of his new free-throw routine, as Embiid went to the line 14 times against the Grizzlies last night, making all 14 of his shots. He had a decent game overall, putting up 35 points (10-21 FG), 11 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.
Despite Embiid’s strong outing, the 76ers still lost 117-111 to the Grizzlies, despite them playing without Ja Morant, and the 76ers fielding their strongest possible lineup with Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George. The 76ers are now 2-12 for the season, as their woes continue.
76ers fans were frustrated with the performance, criticizing their team on social media. But the frustrations have been present long before last night’s game. The 76ers had a team meeting after their game against the Miami Heat, where Maxey called out Joel Embiid for being late to team activities, and asked him to do better.
Embiid wasn’t happy about the details of the meeting being released to the public, telling reporters that whoever on the team shared these details was a ‘piece of sh*t’. There are a lot of internal problems within the 76ers organization.
Joel Embiid’s Future Uncertain
There are concerns about Joel Embiid’s future with the 76ers. It was recently reported that Embiid is feared to have developed ‘chronic knee issues’ similar to Kawhi Leonard and that the 76ers were not fully forthcoming about his injury concerns. These knee issues could cost Embiid a lot of games this season.
But there is more to the concern surrounding Embiid other than his health. It was reported recently that Embiid is frustrated with the 76ers. And one NBA insider believes this frustration is borne out of the 76ers failing to land Jimmy Butler in the offseason, and signing Paul George instead.
The 76ers have built around Joel Embiid for years now, but haven’t found the success that they desire. He’s had numerous star teammates, such as Butler, Ben Simmons, James Harden, and now, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey. If things don’t improve for the 76ers soon, they may look to get rid of him.
If they do decide to move on from Embiid, perhaps he will be granted his wish, reuniting with Jimmy Butler via a trade to the Miami Heat. We looked at what a hypothetical trade for Embiid would look like, which you can read here. And to keep up with the latest 76ers’ drama, stay tuned to Fadeaway World.
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