Ever since Nikola Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA championship in 2023, the pressure has been increasing on Joel Embiid to achieve similar success. As if that weren't enough, while "The Joker" secured his third MVP title last season, "The Process" struggled with injuries and couldn't help the Philadelphia 76ers advance past the first round of the playoffs.
Now, as the Sixers tried to alleviate some of the load of carrying the team single-handedly off Embiid's shoulders by adding veterans like Paul George and Andre Drummond, the seven-time All-Star has continued on the same path. He has already been ruled out for the entire opening week of the 2024-25 season - which has notably infuriated Stephen A. Smith , seeing Embiid constantly being out.
Smith condemned Joel
While other players came with a motivational mindset of achieving more and maximizing their potential in the 2024-25 campaign, Embiid has struggled to be a regular part of the new-look Sixers team. He played a minimal role in the team's training camp and failed to suit up in any of the team's preseason contests. Despite being absent from the action on the hardwood, "JoJo" has been ruled out for the opening week of the new NBA season.
Weighing his thoughts on the issue, on the latest episode of First Take, SAS criticized the 2023 MVP for being injury-prone, highlighting how the 7-foot center seems to have injured every possible part of his body. Moreover, the 57-year-old analyst lambasted Embiid to be as fragile as one can imagine.
"Joel Embiid has missed 329 games in his career. He played in 39 games last year. Last season alone, 34 games missed because of his knee, four games missed because of his ankle, (and) two games missed because of illness," Smith said . "This is what Joel Embiid has missed in his career - foot, knee, health protocols, back, hand, face, ankle, shoulder, calf, hip, elbow…. Is there any part of the body I missed? I mean, DAMN! This dude has been hurt over every imaginable injury you can find on a human body. Everything has happened to him…. We have never seen somebody miss games like this."
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Embiid needs to improve on his injury woes
For the 76ers to make real strides in the Eastern Conference and finally break their playoff curse of not advancing past the second round, they need the former Jayhawk to be in peak condition. While the Cameroonian-born might think that sitting himself out in back-to-back games could help him preserve his health, that's not the case.
Instead, he needs to stay active, play smart, and use his minutes on the court. This includes efficiently managing his workload by utilizing his backup center, Drummond.
Considering the injury history of "PG13," this experiment of splurging money on veterans could prove to be a huge disaster for the franchise if Joel fails to keep himself healthy. With the latter expected to miss more games, even after the Sixers have lost their opening-day encounter, expect more bashing to come his way.
Whether this sparks any change in the mindset or conditioning approach of the 30-year-old remains to be seen.
Related: "I don't like it" - Vince Carter sounds off on Joel Embiid's decision not to play back-to-backs
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