The Philadelphia 76ers are no strangers to baseless narratives. After all, their franchise player Joel Embiid has been subject to numerous falsehoods over the years, especially with respect to the way he takes care of his body and approaches the game from outside the court. Just recently, longtime NBA analyst Max Kellerman sought to revive the tired notion that the former Most Valuable Player has a questionable work ethic.
In a recent episode of the Game Over podcast, Kellerman told Rich Paul that he heard from his sources that Embiid's work ethic is poor, pointing to it as a potentially big problem for the 76ers. He even asked the Klutch Sports head whether LeBron James can fix him in that regard.
Max Kellerman raises a tired Joel Embiid narrative the 76ers have long debunked
It is always comical to see these so-called analysts go and play along with narratives that have long been debunked and never backed by any kind of empirical data. The perception that Embiid has a poor work ethic might just be one of the most ridiculous soundbites around the team in recent years, as there is simply nothing that points to that even being close to reality.
In fact, one could tenably raise the point that Embiid is among the most hardworking stars in the NBA. For someone who is chronically vulnerable to the injury bug, the 76ers star has, time and time again, persevered through those overblown storylines conjured by the media and social media trolls and doubled down on getting his body right and whipping himself into playing shape.
Just last season, Embiid managed to be the biggest difference-maker for the 76ers. While he did end up missing more than half of the regular season, he was there when the team needed him the most, even carrying them into a 3-1 comeback in the first round of the playoffs against the Celtics. He was clearly one of the best feel-good stories in the previous campaign, turning a lot of naysayers into actual believers.
For Kellerman to raise this point just as the 76ers are gearing up for what could very well be a historic championship bid cannot be any more ludicrous. It is almost as if he is quietly trying to send a signal that the team would be better off without their superstar, especially with more star power now on the roster thanks to James and Jaylen Brown alongside Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
The 76ers will go wherever Joel Embiid takes them –– that is a hard fact that has already been proven through the years. Some will keep questioning his approach to the game, but the mere fact that he is still playing is a strong indication that his work ethic cannot be questioned.
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