Shaquille O’Neal has seen a lot of big men come into the NBA after him and be great. He has seen Nikola Jokic take on a slightly different approach and be one of the best big men ever. Another player who was touted to be equally great was Joel Embiid.
The Philadelphia 76ers superstar though has struggled with injuries these past two seasons and hasn’t been able to reproduce his former MVP form. Having played only 12 games this season, his absence led his team to struggle for much of the first quarter of this season.
However, in the last nine games he has played, the 76ers are 6-2. The latest loss coming at the hands of the Golden State Warriors earlier. That 105-139 loss came against a team which has been largely inconsistent for over a month.
It was evident that the team could not handle the constant ball movement the Warriors dished out on the court. One of the prime reasons was the ineffectiveness of the 7′ 0″ center, which led Shaquille O’Neal to say this on Inside the NBA.
When you are the man of the team, the team follows what you do. I have no idea what Joel Embiid is doing. You are the biggest guy out there, but you are settling. You don’t have to run them over, go around them. Use that big old booty, bump them back a little bit and shoot the jumper.
Shaquille O’Neal said
“I have no idea what Joel Embiid is doing” 👀
Shaq breaks down Joel’s play in the 1st half 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/duGOAbA0ay
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 3, 2025
The Hall of Famer added that Joel Embiid was not playing to his usual dominant self. He was settling for shots outside the restricted area, which allowed Warriors defenders to focus on disrupting his rhythm. If he continues to play this way, O’Neal feels the 76ers will not be successful.
Charles Barkley has no faith in Joel Embiid’s 76ers
After Shaquille O’Neal spoke, the rest of the panel chimed in to add that the Philadelphia 76ers are not living up to their preseason hype. Kenny Smith then asked Charles Barkley, himself a former 76ers star, what he will see when he watches his team play live.
I have zero faith in the Sixers.
Charles Barkley said
The 61-year-old was hyped for his Philadelphia 76ers after their stellar offseason. But after more than a quarter games in, he does not think they have the tenacity to win. He pointed out that the biggest culprit is Joel Embiid.
Barkley felt the Paris Olympics gold medalist is not playing intelligent basketball. He saw the center stand idle on defense, which allowed the Golden State Warriors to almost have a one-man advantage. That is not the hallmark of a good team and needs to change if they are to win.
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