For the first time in years, Joel Embiid looks like he’s in the NBA to play, not just to warm the bench with a pair of crutches on either side of him. He’s consistently logging minutes and playing well. Embiid is starting to look like his old self again, but that, too, has drawn criticism from personalities like Wally Szczerbiak, who seem annoyed by the way he behaves.
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In the seven games he’s played in December, Embiid has averaged 25.9 points per game, which although not astronomical, shows that the former MVP is slowly getting back to his best. But the theatrics he resorts to after burying a shot are getting on the nerves of Szczerbiak.
After Embiid’s 26-point performance against the New York Knicks on Saturday, the former NBA All-Star went on record to call the big man a “drama king”.
“Every time he makes a basket, he makes a facial expression,” Szczerbiak said. “It’s a arm waving, it’s a leg kicking, it’s a drama king…like what is he doing?”
Szczerbiak, an analyst for the Knicks, was reacting to Embiid screaming after his layups against New York. This was simply his way of trying to get fouls, something he did even in his prime. Szczerbiak wants him to change.
“You got an and-1, you’re big & strong, we know that,” he added. “Here it’s his 1st dunk of season & he’s happy? He’s talented. He knows how to bait officials, old man game now”
It’s understandable why Szczerbiak was annoyed. After all, the team he was calling the game for got battered by Embiid and the 76ers. New York lost by 11 points, with Tyrese Maxey scoring 36 and VJ Edgecombe adding 26, alongside Embiid’s 26.
The 76ers are now 19–14 and look like real contenders for postseason success. They may not go all the way and win it all, but they should have a genuine shot at making a deep postseason run. New York, meanwhile, has now lost three in a row. It’s not time for the alarm bells to ring yet, as they’re still 23–12, but it is something that should raise concern.
