It wasn’t just Russell Westbrook who had an off-day shooting. Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers garnered flak on social media for his forgettable second-half outing against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Sixers put up a valiant effort, courtesy of James Harden, but couldn’t stop the Bucks from notching up a close 90-88 win. ‘The Beard’ had 31 points, but it wasn’t enough.
While Embiid ended the day with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists, his three turnovers and zero points had fans on social media roasting the 76ers mainstay. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter.
IS THIS YOUR MVP 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🫵🏾🫵🏾🫵🏾🫵🏾🫵🏾🫵🏾🫵🏾🫵🏾🫵🏾🫵🏾 https://t.co/46hqVf0Tky
— Balzo (@BaloowduB) October 21, 2022
I can see the issue coming already. Harden dominates the ball and He doesn’t get touches. https://t.co/1pLhFNICAU pic.twitter.com/QUcH4DfjJS
— 🦅 KingDobson 🦅 (@KingDobson) October 21, 2022
Tunnel vision, lazy plays… Just another bad outing where he disappeared while Harden carried the offense. Luckily they get the Spurs next, but these first two games of inefficient scoring, bad decision making, and more TO than assists in both games is not a welcome start https://t.co/T12hi1FlGN
— Rich Stayman (@RichStayman) October 21, 2022
Man he sucks, they should totally trade him to the Lakers for Russell Westbrook https://t.co/CUiqAYGxdj
— dope i mean (@maniwentsolo) October 21, 2022
I love how little he impacts winnings and how everyone trips over themselves clamoring for him. https://t.co/kP3imQx9Oh
— The Commonest Man in Festo (@hottakeharry) October 21, 2022
Man came into this season looking tired and slow. https://t.co/GhJvuXP2YV
— GreenRunsDeep (@CelticsGRD) October 21, 2022
NBA players forget how to play basketball when they play with James Harden. https://t.co/WRcenRQhtP
— ᵂᴵᴸᴸ (@BiasedHouston) October 21, 2022
Y’all said he was better than Jokic lol https://t.co/W3hEvwIitI
— KB (@CoachKB95) October 21, 2022
https://twitter.com/Rapsfuckingsuck/status/1583295349590224897
Worst athlete I’ve ever seen in any sport https://t.co/M4lDA827SS
— Tenshi (@BLAisDead) October 21, 2022
With this, the 76ers lost both their games in a row. While Embiid scored 26 points against the Boston Celtics in the first game, the second-half outing for the big man is something he would be keen to forget.
Joel Embiid declined to speak to reporters after tonight’s game.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) October 21, 2022
Per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Embiid “declined” to speak to reporters after the loss, which caused some more furor on social media.
Fans on Reddit slammed the player as well, with some calling him “immature” while there was support coming in from one end. Some sections of fans were optimistic that he would bounce back.
76ers Coach Doc Rivers Says The Team Wasn’t “Very Organized On Offense.”
Needless to say, the loss stung, and coach Doc Rivers felt that the Sixers could have fared better on offense. The team began poorly with the scoring, and Rivers emphasized that there were areas they could improve on.
The stagnant offense shackles were broken when the other players took shots soon, but Embiid was the focal point of the team’s offense, scoring 11 points on a 4 for 9 shooting in the first quarter.
Per NBC Sports, Rivers shed light on the factor that cost them the game:
“I didn’t think we were very organized as far as offense. Didn’t execute is the better word for it. And it’s going to take time. We’ve just got to keep working on it. Even on the one iso for Joel (in the fourth quarter) … we’ve run Elbow 5 for I think a year and a half now and we had two guys on the same side, so he didn’t have a clear side. That should never happen.”
After two consecutive losses, the Sixers will be keen to get their campaign back on track when they host the San Antonio Spurs at home on Sunday (October 23). The latter play their first game against the Indiana Pacers on Friday.
