3 Obvious flaws Joel Embiid has to fix ahead of crucial 76ers season
Embiid must distance himself from social media drama and become a leadership figure
Joel Embiid is heading to his 9th seasons of his NBA career and his progress as a leader for the 76ers has been questioned. Also, more often than not, he had been part of social media drama encircling around him going against other superstars. Last season, Embiid was falsely accused of “ducking” games against Nikola Jokic and other NBA superstars.
As it was proved later, Embiid entered games without being at 100%, and as a result, he put himself in danger of suffering a more serious injury. When he went down against the Warriors, he was apparently not well and put himself in a dangerous position that ended up with a knee injury that kept him sidelined until the end of the season.
In the 34 games he appeared, the Sixers were among the Top-4 teams in the East before dropping to the 7th seed and the play-in tournament during the second part of the season. Athletes are human beings, and they are not encircled in a bubble. They all see the social media slander, which unfortunately has been an issue even for things outside of basketball.
I believe that Embiid has to keep his focus away from any toxic conversation this season. The 76ers are on pace to be serious NBA title contenders this year, and Joel Embiid will be tested as a leadership and veteran figure for the team.