In a recent segment on the “BIG” podcast, former NBA big man Shaquille O’Neal called out 76ers star Joel Embiid over his new resting policy. After finding out that Embiid plans to avoid back-to-back games for the rest of his career, O’Neal labeled him as soft and questioned what has him so tired to begin with.
“You have to want to be that guy and with his statement the other day, I don’t think Joel Embiid wants to be that guy,” said O’Neal. “I actually want him to take it personal. You can’t come out before the season and day ‘I’m not playing back-to-backs.’ S-O-F-T. I want the smoke, it ain’t Magic’s city no more, I want it. So when he come out and say he’s not playing back to backs I thought about it first like ‘You don’t get double-teamed, you don’t get triple-teamed.’ All he’s doing is pick and pop. Why are you tired?”
Joel Embiid lit the internet on fire the other day after he announced that he’d be opting out of back-to-back games for the rest of his career. This season already, the star big man is slated to miss three of the next four games and this is coming the season after he missed 43 games.
While Embiid actually does see double teams on the regular, he also frequently hangs out on the perimeter for easy jumpers and his large, 7-foot frame makes him naturally stronger than most players on the court. So far, it just hasn’t been enough to get the desired results.
As a team with so much at stake, the Philadelphia 76ers are desperate to win with Embiid, and their trade for Paul George this summer was a last-ditch effort to catch up to the Eastern contenders. But it’s going to be hard for the 76ers to win if their biggest star misses a large chunk of the season.
During his Lakers stint, Shaquille O’Neal (a 4x champion) was often criticized for being out of shape or out of focus but he was almost always available to play and he certainly never took days off during his championships runs in 2000, 2001, or 2002.
Embiid, who has never been out of the second round, has been anything but available for the 76ers with an attendance record that stands as one of the worst in the league for any superstar. Now, in his first season with Paul George, Joel’s health is already compromised and the 76ers would rather let him sit out than risk a long-term injury.
Instead, the 76ers are doing everything they can to preserve Embiid for the NBA playoffs. After averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game last season, he proved that he can still deliver at the highest level.
With Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, it should be enough for the 76ers to pose a real threat in the East and possibly challenge the Celtics for supremacy in the Conference.
But if Joel Embiid keeps missing games at this rate, it may be impossible for the 76ers to develop the chemistry and cohesion they need to be successful in the playoffs. Health is the most important thing but it can only do so much for teams who have limited experience playing together.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.
