Skip Bayless flip-flopped on his criticism of Joel Embiid that he made just a day ago. Bayless had claimed that Embiid is a “solo act” in the middle. The jist of his argument was that the Cameroonian-French Center doesn’t involve his teammates enough and thus, they don’t showcase improvement under him. However, after returning from an injury after two months, Joel Embiid proved his mettle yet again. The reigning MVP dropped 24 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals as his 76ers beat the Thunder 109-105.
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Although the Thunder was without two of their best offensive players, Bayless was impressed with the 76ers superstar’s production in just 29 minutes. He lauded him for his performance despite coming off a meniscus surgery on his left knee. On ‘Undisputed’, the FS1 analyst regarded Embiid as the “most gifted” seven-foot hooper,
“This is the most gifted 7-plus foot player we’ve ever seen. On just pure offensive gifts, I have never seen anything like this before and they were on full display right now,” Skip Bayless told co-host Keyshawn Johnson.
The Undisputed host found it “shocking” that the Center logged around 30 minutes despite being listed as ‘Out’ just a few hours before the game. He added that the league may “look into the situation” considering the recent furor over NBA players’ alleged involvement in gambling schemes. However, at the end of the day, he was “blown away” by how the Center performed at a high level despite a long layoff. As for the 76ers superstar, this has been a tumultuous period.
Even though the big man is out of the MVP run owing to the new league rules, he is averaging 35 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists, this season. Even the league-scoring leader, playing a minimum of 57.4 games out of 82 games, Luka Doncic averages 33.9 points, as per Statmuse. Embiid has been immensely important to his roster even though he is agonized by injuries, this season.
Joel Embiid has had a traumatic experience
In a TNT interview after the Thunder win, Embiid expressed he wasn’t feeling good. His latest knee injury has taken the biggest toll on him mentally. This reaction is gut-wrenching because the Center has dealt with a plethora of knee issues since his NCAA days.
In fact, he has missed complete seasons because of his knee issues. However, the iron-willed 7’1” athlete returned believing that his squad still has a chance for a special run in the postseason. As per NBA on ESPN’,
“This one took a toll mentally. I just wanted to come back. I just think we got a chance even you know the level I’am at and I’m only going to get better. This one was probably the hardest by far, especially mentally,” Joel Embiid lamented.
Considering the Process is desperate to win a ring this season, the knee injury vanquished his well-being. As a 7-footer, persistent knee injuries are usually career-ending, numerous examples allude to that. However, he is unwilling to wait for next season after not making it past the second round in his career. His patience is running out, an alarming sign for his franchise.
