Tyrese Maxey called out Joel Embiid for his late attendance at team activities, revealing that the 2023 MVP’s rapport with his teammates hasn’t been the best. However, that wasn’t the case when Patrick Beverley was on the team. The former Sixers guard revealed an instance in the 2023-24 season when he got Embiid to do extra conditioning drills.
Advertisement
In a recent episode of the ‘Pat Bev Podcast’, the former NBA guard chimed in on his reaction to Maxey calling out Embiid. He recalled his experience challenging the Cameroonian star himself and said,
“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].'”
Beverley revealed that he didn’t receive pushback from the star big man in his request to participate in conditioning drills with him. However, it wasn’t a one-off occurrence. Beverley convinced the seven-time All-Star to participate in the drills in the following practice.
“Hey, Joel, let’s do some extra conditioning again,” Beverley said. Initially, Embiid didn’t want to engage in the drill again, saying, ‘Hey man, I’m not doing 17s.’ Beverley’s persistence eventually broke through to the big man. “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.”
He used this example to showcase Embiid’s willingness to be the best player he could be. Therefore, the way the media has blown up the initial story of Maxey’s challenge to Embiid is unnecessary. However, that hasn’t prevented the NBA media from being in an uproar about Embiid being late to team activities.
Former NBA player takes a shot at Embiid for lateness
Beverley’s lax reaction to the news from Philadelphia is within the minority between those who have shared their opinion on the matter. Former NBA player and coach Sam Mitchell didn’t mince any words when addressing the situation.
Mitchell joined SiriusXM NBA Radio to discuss the problems in Philadelphia. He pointed to Embiid being the biggest problem for the Sixers.
“Problem with Philly is, Joel Embiid is the best player,” Mitchell said. “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 points toward Embiid’s lack of leadership as the best player as a huge problem for the Sixers. 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.
On the season, the Sixers are 3-13, which is the second-worst record in the NBA. If they hope to change the direction of their season, it will revolve around Embiid taking a massive shift in his approach to the game.
