The Philadelphia 76ers endured a tough loss against the Boston Celtics on Thursday night. The defeat has further derailed their season as they are standing at the 11th spot on the western table and have a woeful record of 20-35 to showcase. One of the reasons behind their struggle is Joel Embiid is having a quiet season. The former MVP featured for 27 minutes in the game and could only have a say in the form of 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Joel Embiid Makes Emotional Admission Following Defeat Against Celtics
This was Embiid's 18th appearance in the season, the lingering knee issues have kept him out for the majority of the season till now. His absence has ostensibly come as a reason why the 76ers are outside of the Eastern Conference play-in picture. If it weren't for the injuries, then Embiid's stature may have been even greater than it already is.
Speaking after Thursday's loss, Embiid made an emotional admission which showcased what mental state he is in currently.
"The way I was playing a year ago, is not the way I'm playing right now," Embiid said (h/t Kyle Neubeck of PHLY). "It sucks… it's hard to have the trust when you're not yourself. And yeah, l'm not as dominant as I was a couple of months ago, but that doesn't mean I still can't have a lot of impact on the game."
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Joel Embiid Struggling for Form Lately
The less playing time has seemingly affected his performance as the Cameroonian's scoring rate has been dropped by a major extent this season. While he is still averaging 24.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, it is nowhere near the prodigious standards he has set for himself. To put perspective, Embiid averaged 30 points in each of the last three seasons and secured back-to-back scoring titles in 2022 and 2023. Thus, one could expect Joel Embiid to go past the difficult phase and return to being extraordinary again.