While his talent is undeniable, Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid has had his work ethic called into question at times in recent years. He hasn’t consistently been on the floor for the 76ers of late, as the oft-injured star appeared in under half of Philadelphia’s 82 games a season ago and has played in just three of the team’s 13 contests so far this season.
Embiid also drew the ire of some people when he claimed before the season that he’ll “probably never play back-to-backs” for the remainder of his NBA career. More recently, he was reportedly called out by teammate Tyrese Maxey for regularly being late to things.
Retired NBA star Gilbert Arenas seems to think that if Embiid wants to fix his habits and max out his potential as a player, he’ll need the help of Miami Heat president Pat Riley.
Gilbert Arenas says MIA is the only place Embiid can go to fix his habits
“He needs somewhere they don’t give af about your name. At this point you can only go to Pat Riley to restart who you’re gonna be. Go there 2/3 years then you can leave”
Would yall want Embiid on Heat? 🤔… pic.twitter.com/Tz8eUeWv4y
— Emo Jimmy (@HeatCulture13) November 20, 2024
Ironically, Embiid is on the heels of an underwhelming performance against the Heat just days ago. He scored just 11 points on as many shot attempts from the floor in a game the 76ers lost by 17.
The veteran has yet to look quite like his usual dominant self on the offensive end of the floor since he made his season debut against the New York Knicks earlier in the month. Embiid’s season-high in points thus far is just 20 (which came against the Orlando Magic), and he shot 5-of-15 from the field in that contest.
Embiid’s return to the lineup also hasn’t helped to stem the bleeding for the Sixers, who are reeling at this juncture. Philadelphia has a record of 0-3 with Embiid this campaign and is riding a four-game losing streak.
The 76ers’ overall record of 2-11 has them tied with the lowly Washington Wizards for the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
All things considered, Embiid’s future with the 76ers could start to become a bigger topic of discussion if things remain the same, and if he were to ask for a trade out of Philadelphia in the near future, perhaps Miami would emerge as a possible landing spot for him.
