Tyrese Maxey recently called out Joel Embiid for being “late for everything”, including training, indicating that the star center’s rapport with his Philadelphia 76ers teammates has been patchy of late. However, when Patrick Beverley was on the team, the big man had surprised all by putting in some extra effort at practice. The former Sixers guard revealed instances from the 2023-24 campaign when he challenged Embiid to perform additional drills. Joel played along, after initial reluctance, of course.
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In an episode of the Pat Bev Podcast, Beverley reacted to Maxey calling out Embiid by recalling his experience with the Cameroonian star.
“We got practice, I walk up to [Joel Embiid] like ‘Yo, let’s do some extra conditioning.’ He’s like ‘Alright…’ When we get done, everybody’s clapping. They were like, ‘You really got Joel Embiid to do [conditioning]’,” he said.
Patrick added that he did receive pushback from the big man. But that resistance soon turned into effort. The fact that Beverley managed to get Embiid to do conditioning was lauded by all the teammates.
It wasn’t a one-off occurrence though, and Beverley narrated another instance.
“Hey, Joel, let’s do some extra conditioning again,” Beverley recalled. Initially, Embiid didn’t want to engage in the drill again, saying, “Hey man, I’m not doing 17s”.
Beverley persisted, and Embiid relented eventually.
“So he knocks them out again. Another 17, so shoutout Joel Embiid. That shows you MVP. He doesn’t have to do that but he’s doing that to help the team,” added Beverley.
The lacklustre attitude was always part of the star’s persona. However, through the instances, Patrick was trying to showcase the 2023 MVP’s willingness to become the best player he could be if the right buttons are pushed. He was hinting that the way the media has blown up the initial story of Maxey calling out Embiid was unnecessary.
Former NBA player takes a shot at Embiid
Beverley’s sedate reaction to the news from Philadelphia is part of a minority. Many had sharply criticized Embiid.
Former NBA player and coach Sam Mitchell didn’t mince words when reacting to the situation. He pointed out that Embiid being the biggest problem for the Sixers.
“Problem with Philly is, Joel Embiid is the best player,” Mitchell said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “Your best player shows up late. Your best player is not in shape — he puts himself at risk for injuries, which he’s hurt again now.”
Mitchell particularly highlighted Embiid’s lack of leadership. The team can only go so far when the best player isn’t taking care of himself and isn’t completely devoted to his craft and the side’s cause.
The Sixers are 3-13 right now, which is the second-worst record in the NBA. If they hope to change the direction of their season, it will revolve around Embiid bringing about a massive shift in his approach.
