There are very few players that come close to Joel Embiid in terms of performance over the last couple of seasons. In both years, he gave Nikola Jokic a tough fight for the MVP award but just couldn’t stay healthy long enough to clinch it. So naturally, with a rejuvenated James Harden next to him and a squad built around the duo, big things are expected from Embiid this season.
However, the start of the said season was less than ideal, culminating in a loss to the Boston Celtics. There were plenty of positives for the Sixers, notably Harden’s performance, but Joel Embiid himself wasn’t all that great amid a shower of boos. He did put up 26 points and 15 rebounds, which sounds like a massive game, but he wasn’t as influential as the Sixers might have hoped. He can certainly play a lot better than he did against the Cs, and one of his biggest supporters has called him out by saying as much.
Shaquille O’Neal Expected More From Joel Embiid Against The Boston Celtics
Shaquille O’Neal is the loudest fan of the league’s best big men, having been one of the best in the role in NBA history himself. But his support comes with the caveat of expectation, and the Big Diesel tells it like it is if he thinks the likes of Embiid didn’t perform well. And speaking on TNT after the game between the Sixers and the Celtics, Shaq called The Process out (via Bleacher Report).
“I would have liked to see Joel Embiid come in with a mentality. Because you know, you look at stats, you look at team success, but MVP is a mentality. You have to have the mentality: ‘I’m the best big man in the league,’ forget that. ‘I’m the best player in the league.’
“And you have to come out from day one. There are three ways to manipulate the mind, what you read, what you hear, and what you see. If the media come out and see you dominant, saying ‘I’m the MVP,’ then they’ll give you that nod coming down the stretch.”
The regular season is long and the Sixers are still figuring it out like any other team, but Shaq does have a point about Embiid needing to impose himself if he finally wants to be MVP. He has all the tools necessary to be the league’s best player, and there is little doubt that he will show as much in the games that are to come this season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWtKq6MbwCE
