Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid throws shade at Brett Brown after loss (again)

Joel Embiid continues to blame his role when the Philadelphia 76ers struggle.

There are legitimate concerns about the imperfect fit between Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons. There are legitimate concerns about Brett Brown’s decision-making late in games, especially against the Boston Celtics.

What isn’t a legitimate concern is Joel Embiid’s role and usage. There are moments where Embiid fades out of games, but that’s hardly Brett Brown’s fault. It’s also important to note Jimmy Butler — not Embiid — is the Sixers’ best option down the stretch.

As the new year approaches, Joel Embiid continues to get top-five MVP buzz. He’s killing it as the Sixers’ primary option, playing strong defense and carrying a massive burden on offense — something few stars can consistently do.

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In recent losses, however, Embiid seems intent on shifting the blame elsewhere. Whether it’s a poor individual performance or an underwhelming team finish, the All-Star has indirectly blamed Brett Brown on multiple occasions.

A few weeks back, when there were rumblings about Embiid’s unhappiness with Jimmy Butler, those were actually complaints about his role within the offense. He was criticizing Brown’s decision to place him on the perimeter, rather than focusing more on deep post catches.

It’s a legitimate gripe, yes, but one with little to no backing. Embiid, when those comments were made, was averaging most post touches per game than before Butler’s arrival. The Sixers offense still runs through Embiid all game. His actual role hasn’t changed much.

Embiid would later double down on his perimeter disdain, saying he doesn’t like shooting threes. While that wasn’t so much a shot at Brown, it does speak to his comfort level (or lack thereof) in Brown’s offense.

In the modern NBA, putting Embiid on the perimeter has benefits. It opens up driving lanes, allows Simmons to score off the ball, and even puts JoJo in a better position to utilize his much-improved face-up game. He needs to shoot threes, because there are clear rewards for doing so.

There are moments where Embiid settles for bad shots, but that’s largely his fault. He still gets 10.3 post-ups per game, which he uses to pace the halfcourt offense. The Sixers don’t short-change Embiid.

The common theme is simple: when Embiid is unsatisfied with his performance, the blame tends to get placed elsewhere. He’s not afraid to call out his own performance, but he’s also someone who wants to win or lose games on his own terms.

"“I felt like I could have done more. I didn’t get the ball. The ball didn’t find me in the fourth quarter and overtime, so, in those situations, I’ve got to show up, but I also have to be put in the right situations to be able to help this team. I felt like I wasn’t in the right situation. We lost. I put this heavily on me because I know I could have done more, and the more I was playing, all day they couldn’t guard me, and they were playing a lot of one-on-one, double-teaming on the first dribbles, but I have to find a way to adjust through that and just be myself” — Philly.com"

Losing on the road, in overtime, to the Boston Celtics isn’t objectively bad. The Sixers have issues with roster construction and are still a tier below Boston in the Eastern Conference. To almost pull off the upset indicates a solid performance.

Embiid tallied 34 points and 16 rebounds, putting together another productive outing in his quest for MVP. He also led the team with six turnovers and showed signs of fatigue down the stretch.

In the overtime period, Embiid didn’t attempt a single shot. The Sixers should probably work to get Embiid the ball in those situations, but Butler remains the superior late-game option. His isolation scoring and playmaking are skills the Sixers need to utilize.

Many people also criticized Brown’s decision to use J.J. Redick for an attempted game-winner in regulation. Rather than putting Butler in isolation or Embiid on the block, the Sixers went to Simmons and Redick for a dribble-handoff.

While Butler ideally takes (or initiates) the shot in that situation, Redick is one of the best mid-range shooters in the NBA. Even contested, running an often-successful set to leverage an elite shooter isn’t an unmitigated disaster. That’s probably more effective than force-feeding Embiid.

To an extent, Embiid’s concerns are fair. But it’s not as though Brown’s play-calling is without reason. Embiid is prone to turnovers and poor shot selection down the stretch, and the Celtics are particularly well-equipped to defend him in those situations.

The main issue is Embiid’s thinly-veiled shot at Brown. It’s never good to see a team’s star player criticize the coach’s decision-making, especially when that criticism can be extrapolated and misrepresented as criticism of the team’s other stars.

Embiid remains one of the NBA’s highest-usage players. He gets ample shot attempts, ample touches, and ample opportunities. There are situations that are more friendly to Embiid than others, with late-game offense falling in the latter category. There are also other players — namely Butler — who deserve emphasis in those situations.

Once Embiid cuts down on lazy turnovers and the Sixers can maximize spacing around him, then there’s an argument for feeding Embiid late-game post-ups. Until then, Butler and Redick are the best initiators when the defense clamps down and the possessions count.

There’s no reason to blame Embiid for the Boston loss. But calling out the coach in this situation is unwarranted, especially from a player. The Sixers didn’t lose because Embiid was short on touches. They lost due to poor bench production, dreadful spacing and poor execution down the stretch.