If you Watched the game last night (As of this posting date), You saw thePhiladelphia 76ers falling to a 2-8 record, After getting pretty much blown out 99-111 by the New York Knicks in one of the opening games of the 2024 NBA Cup.
Joel Embiid made his much-anticipated debut for the team, but he had a totally forgettable performance finishing the night with an abysmal 18.2% from the field. If you stuck around for the post-game press conference, you might have heard head coach Nick Nurse brushing aside Embiid’s poor night. He called Embiid “rusty” after serving a three-game suspension.
That did not sit well with either our man Shaq or Inside the NBA co-host Charles Barkley. didn’t agree with Nurse’s comments about Embiid. O’Neal took the simple, direct route in his criticism, saying, “He will never win a championship until he gets his mind and his attitude right”
As for Sir Charles, he questioned Nurse’s strategy regarding Embiid’s return and urged the coach to take a page out of Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s book, saying, “The coach said his conditioning was not there and he was rusty. How is it going to get better? Practicing now is not going to same as the actual game.”
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Embiid has been on a very limited playing schedule already, and Barkely wasn’t against that idea, adding, “Let’s say he doesn’t play tomorrow. First of all, he’s probably not going to practice today because they play back-to-back games. When is he going to get to play actual competitive basketball? He doesn’t have to play 40 minutes. Steve Kerr played Steph Curry for like 28 minutes. Play the guy for 25 minutes. But he’s not going to get in better shape or competitive spirit just showing up for practice a couple of days later.”
As for the Sixers, life doesn’t get any easier. Their next matchup is with the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers (12-0). Embiid wants to play in the matchup but ultimately left the decision up to coach Nurse.
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The 7x NBA All-Star had a 2-11 shooting night vs. the Knicks, including a 1-5 output from beyond the arc. Barkley honed in on that stat, and said he had a good idea why Embiid – a big man who normally plays down deep – is taking all the long-distance shots: “You know why he shoots all those threes? So he doesn’t have to run that much further, that’s why he shoots those threes. I made it sound simple, but to run from under the basket on the post, baseline to baseline, he’s [Embiid] like, ‘I don’t want to do that. I’m going to shoot the three and then I can get back.”
It’s true that Embiid has been dealing with recovery from a knee injury… and has been suspended by the NBA for three games after an altercation with a reporter as the season was just getting started. Sill, both Embiid and the 76ers have a lot of ground to make up if they want to be serious playoff contenders.
It’s not just the Inside guys that have been critical of Embii’s performance and work ethic this season. Over at ESPN and their “First Take” show, Analyst Kendrick Perkins has his doubts about the team but hopes for Embiid to get into shape and play well. Shannon Sharpe, on the other hand, was less than optimistic.
Around the league, other big men like Denver’s Nikola Jokic and the Lakers’ Anthony Davis have been playing at an elite level, and doing it consistently, too. The season is just getting started, so it’ll be interesting to see if Embiid gets back to a regular playing schedule, and how that contributes to the 76ers’ playoff hopes.