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Watching Joel Embiid talk to Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal on the TNT set after Thursday night’s game felt like vindication. Those two NBA legends have been challenging Embiid to max his potential for years. Now the Philadelphia 76ers star has finally done it.
Sure, Embiid has been a perennial All-Star selection since 2017 but this is different. This version of the Cameroonian big man is a legit MVP candidate, a guy who can beat opponents in multiple ways and get his teammates involved. Embiid had 26 points and nine rebounds in a 105-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He fought through double teams all night and dished to Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey. Seven total dimes.
“For us to compete, we got to be damn near perfect. I can’t do it alone, I need my teammates,” Embiid said. “I’m pissed off. I had a bad night tonight, especially because you guys [Shaq and Barkley] were on, you know it wasn’t a good night but I’m glad we got the win. That’s a big win especially in our quest to be the No. 1 seed.”
The TNT crew disagreed with Embiid’s assessment, saying they thought he played great. Barkley thinks he has gone from a really good player to a superstar player. There are only five of those guys in the entire NBA.
“He is learning what a superstar is,” Barkley said. “But when you become a superstar, making guys around you better, that’s when you become a star because you got to find a way to dominate. What makes you a great player is the ability to win the game multiple ways and make your teammates better.”
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Embiid: ‘That’s My Main Focus’
The MVP chatter could consume a mentally weak player. That’s not Embiid. Remember, he was on track to win the award last season until a knee injury paved the way for Nikola Jokic to steal it. The 7-footer dedicated himself to getting healthier in the offseason and it’s worked. Embiid played in his 20th straight game on Thursday. And the Sixers are 13-3 since December 26.
“To be the MVP you got to win games. That’s my main focus,” Embiid said. “We got to continue to do what we’ve been doing. We’ve been playing great as of late. We started the year pretty well, and then obviously COVID hit us, and I missed a couple of games because of COVID, and we lost a couple of them but now we started to get back in a rhythm and get some guys back.”
Head coach Doc Rivers keeps asking Embiid if he wants a night off. He’s definitely earned a rest day. It’s something the team has discussed, but the star center doesn’t want to hurt his MVP chances, or risk slowing the Sixers’ momentum.
“He’s doing everything for us on and off the floor,” Rivers said. “That’s why we have the record. I mean with all the stuff floating around this team we just keep winning, a lot of that is Joel’s leadership.”
Seth Curry Misses Fourth Straight Game
Seth Curry missed his fourth straight game due to left ankle soreness on Thursday. Furkan Korkmaz took his spot in the starting five and scored six points. The Sixers have been surviving without Curry but they are going to need his shooting come playoff time. Rivers was hopeful Curry would be cleared against the Lakers but he wasn’t. Philadelphia plays again on Saturday (January 29) against Sacramento.
“We just gotta wait until he feels better,” Rivers said. “We’re just gonna see the next game and see if he can go.”
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