Joel Embiid facing backlash for petty comments on Jayson Tatum

Joel Embiid is facing the ire of the NBA world for his recent comments on Jayson Tatum and the Celtics.

During an episode of the "Check Ball Show" this week, the former NBA MVP appeared alongside his skills coach, Drew Hanlen, who provided insight into Embiid's mindset outside the court. Hanlen revealed that the Sixers star has voiced the belief that he would be winning championships if he had a super-team like the Celtics.

"I tell him the same thing," Embiid admitted. "If I go for 5-for-20 from the field, we get blown out."

Embiid was referring to Tatum, who had several poor shooting nights in the 2024 playoffs en route to the Celtics' title win ( 5-for-14 versus Heat on April 17 and 6-for-22 versus Mavericks on June 9).

"When Jayson can start out 0-for-2 and the Celtics are still up by six, he'll be like, 'it must be nice,'" Hanlen said of how Embiid views Tatum and the Celtics.

Embiid essentially discredited Tatum's first NBA title by suggesting that he, too, would have a championship ring if he had the right pieces supporting him. That is rather petty on his part, considering he has been paired up with likely future Hall of Famers such as Jimmy Butler and James Harden in the past and continues to play with quality co-stars such as Tyrese Maxey and soon-to-be teammate Paul George.

Objectively, it's inarguable that Tatum had a superior supporting cast to that of Embiid last season — and perhaps even in prior years. But Embiid comes across as a spoilsport with such an admission, especially since his Sixers have failed to get past the conference semifinals in his eight-year tenure with the organization.

The harsh reality for Embiid is that he has been an underwhelming performer in the playoffs . The injuries and poor conditioning excuses are valid, but it's easy to forget that Embiid had a forgettable 2023 playoff run which ended with him shooting 5-of-18 from the field in a Game 7 loss to the Celtics.

With the Sixers landing George and re-signing Maxey, Embiid has a legitimate super-team to rely upon next season. It's put up or shut up time for the skilled 7-footer.