Joel Embiid is the NBA’s leading scorer for the 2022-23 season. And while this is mostly because of his unstoppable post-game and great shooting, it is also because he goes to the free-throw line so consistently. Joel Embiid gets the superstar calls, while he also gets a bit more leeway on the other end.
By the time, the playoffs roll along, players and coaches get a lot more sensitive about the things that are called and those that aren’t. And after the Brooklyn Nets lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1, Nets Head Coach Jacque Vaughn called out the referees for the way Embiid is officiated.
“Hopefully they’ll be calling traveling and defensive three seconds on the big fella [Joel Embiid] next game, so I look forward to that,” Vaughn said.
Jacque Vaughn was displeased with the lack of calls against Joel Embiid. pic.twitter.com/8N6oWk6Tfm
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 16, 2023
Joel Embiid has been prone to being a little loose with his footwork inside the post from time to time, but NBA officials are known to call the travel a bit inconsistently. Jacque Vaughn calling it out so openly is possibly a ploy to get officials to pay more attention to it as the series goes on, which will likely happen. Considering that the Nets lost by 20, though, Vaughn needs to worry about that a bit more than the way referees are treating Joel Embiid.
Joel Embiid Reportedly Already Feels Like Everyone Is Against Him
This situation will be an interesting one to follow, considering some recent reports. Joel Embiid has felt slighted by the NBA, the media, and the fans at various points in time, especially over potentially winning an MVP award. And according to reports, there are people around him who tell him that others are against him.
“He does care, and you should care. I want guys to care about this stuff…” Russillo said. “The only thing with Embiid that I don’t like, and I think it’s more the people around him that get in his head about how everyone is against him.”
If the whistle around Joel Embiid changes now, it could cause him to have a reaction to that. But the Sixers and Embiid simply cannot falter in the first round. Their lack of playoff success is what has counted against Embiid the most, and they will need to get the job done regardless of how the referees call the games.
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