Philadelphia 76ers star big man Joel Embiid has received a lot of criticism in the past for what seems like a lack of effort at times. That has been especially true for the 2019-20 season as it seems like he was going through the motions for the majority of the season.
Despite all of that, he was still averaging 23.4 points and 11.8 rebounds at the time the league went into a suspension due to the global coronavirus pandemic. However, Embiid says his mentality was beginning to change after the All-Star break in preparation for the NBA Playoffs.
In an interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Marc Zumoff, Embiid told him:
Before the season got shut down, I was on that path, especially after the All-Star game my mentality just completely changed. First part of the season, it wasn’t up to my standard. Not even close. I was on that path to just, changing all of that and just go and make it happen.
Joel Embiid told @marczumoff he wants to be “dominating” when Sixers return
“I was on that path. Especially after the All-Star game, my mentality just completely changed”
“First part of the season was not up to my standards. Not even close”#Sixers pic.twitter.com/cOBSqwpSMk
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) June 5, 2020
To Embiid’s point, he did only average 22.9 points and 11.9 rebounds before the All-Star break and he was averaging 27.6 points and 11.0 rebounds in five games after the break. He only played in five games due to a shoulder injury that forced him to sit out before returning for one game before the league suspension.
The big thing with Embiid is that due to his superstar status, more is expected out of him so when he doesn’t produce to the level expected, he gets criticized. That’s what comes with the territory of being such a great player. With the season set to resume, he now has his chance to quiet some critics. [lawrence-related id=32678,32670,32660]