Time hasn’t been kind to Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid. Two years removed from his MVP season in 2023, injuries have reduced Embiid to guest appearances on the court, which in turn has adversely affected his performances when he is on it. Embiid has missed 11 of the 76ers’ last 14 games this season, averaging only 19.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in the 7 games he has actually played.
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The former MVP has been dealing with a rather sore right knee, and as such, it’s expected to be a hindrance to him making further appearances on the court for the rest of the season. As it happens, criticism has followed with analysts asserting that even when Embiid has been fit, he’s been looking to avoid contact, in turn affecting his role as a rebounder.
The 5.3 average is easily a career low for Embiid. His unwillingness to fully commit also means he doesn’t often get into spots, instead rushing after jumpers. Needless to say, the criticism seems warranted. However, 4 time NBA champion Draymond Green wants the analytics to cut him some slack!
“One thing I will remind people of is this. A lot of people say he looks like a shell of himself … He missed the majority of last year with a knee injury. A knee injury that wasn’t just injured last year but has been bothering him and has been an issue over the course of time. He needed surgery on that knee injury,” Green said.
The Warriors star felt it prudent to point out that Embiid has essentially been trying to get back from that.
“Missing the beginning of the season … And I find it a bit unfair that everyone is like, ‘Oh, man he’s a shell of himself. He’s not the player he once was.’ Again, he’s coming off a knee injury. That takes time,” Green stressed, adding that often when players come back from injuries like this, it can be more mental than physical.
According to the Warriors star, it takes time for them to believe in their abilities again, essentially explaining that athletes take extra care not to have a repeat of the same injury or worse. He added that because everybody knows about Embiid’s injury, they are already counting him out, practically closing the chapter on his career.
“He’s working himself back into shape. He’s getting his timing back. He’s getting his explosiveness back. So, when you talk about the future of his career, I still think he’s special. I think it’s going to take him some time to get there. So, I would just tell people to have some grace,” Green sighed.
The 4-time NBA champion also pointed out that Embiid is a big man, 7 ft tall, who could move like guys half his size, and it would just be tough to go back to doing that right after an injury. He asks fans and critics to give Embiid more time and let things play out, and have faith that over the course of the season, the Sixers star will return to his former glory.
