Sixers: Good, bad, ugly from heartbreaking loss to Bucks

Ugly elements of Sixers’ loss to Bucks

• Joel Embiid’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad game 

Joel Embiid was quite bad in Tuesday’s opener against Boston. He managed to one-up his own struggles on Thursday, however, posting 15 points on 6-of-21 shooting. Brook Lopez put Embiid in jail on the block and Philly struggled to establish their All-Star center in other ways. He committed four turnovers and once again toggled between disinterest and teenage sulkiness.

.Again, there were multiple instances where a “bad” call led to Embiid simply not getting back on defense. Multiple wide-open Brook Lopez 3s were the result. Embiid looked completely unprepared for the length and pressure applied by Milwaukee’s defense. Every iso felt forced and unnatural. Embiid looked so much more patient and precise with his offensive approach last season. Where has that been through two games?

It’s also notable that Embiid refused to speak with reporters after the game. That’s pretty weak stuff and should not be looked upon favorably. He’s the leader of this franchise. If Philly has any hope of winning the championship, it starts with Embiid. He has to play like the MVP-level superstar he is. It doesn’t really matter how well Harden plays if Embiid completely tanks the offense every time he touches the ball.

No one should be panicking right now. Embiid tends to start every season slow. This has been a particularly egregious two-game stretch, but the recent track record for Embiid is too strong. He will return to form eventually. It’s only a matter of time.