Joel Embiid frankly raining during disappointing house opening

Despite the growing excitement as the season approaches, the Philadelphia 76ers haven’t sped off to the start of the season they hoped for. The Sixers have now given up their opening games with their last heartbreaking 90-88 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. One of the biggest storylines to come out of the opening two shows was star Joel Embiid’s play.

During the loss to the Bucks, Embiid scored just 15 points and fired 6-21 off the field. MVP runner-up too added 12 rebounds and 3 assists but she turned the ball four times and scored -10 plus/minus. If it weren’t for an impressive performance from James Harden, who scored 31 points in an effective 13-24 shooting performance, the Sixers would likely have been blown up in the match.

Embiid conflicts worry?

These are the consecutive nights when Embiid doesn’t look like his star. During the first two games of the season, he only fired 15-39 (38.5%) from the field and 2-9 (22.2%) from behind the three-point arc. The Sixers have relied on their star too much and have not yet been able to answer the call.

Perhaps worse than the archery struggles was the level of apparent detachment with which Embiid played. On several occasions, he failed to return to defense and forced the Sixers to play five to four. For a player who has advocated the importance of the defensive side of the floor and appears to be keeping an eye on the nomination for Defensive Player of the Year, Embiid made some notable coverage errors and failed to bring in the energy that took a toll on the team.

Fans of The Sixers have noted his poor level of play and efforts. The fan-favorite player was booed during the third quarter when his struggles seemed to peak. Embiid was 0-5 with three turnovers during this time. Milwaukee boosted its lead by seven points in the quarter.

Are these typical battles that Embiid fights at the beginning of the season?

When asked about Embiid’s performance after the match, Doc Rivers played down his struggles. As Rivers said to every heavy Mike GreerHe didn’t have one of his best games. He did a lot of other things for us tonight. I know defensively he was good for us tonight. He got 21 shots, I didn’t like where some of them were when he got them. So we’re still in offensive progress. Better rhythm.

It should be noted that the slow start of the season was not uncommon in Embiid’s career. Just last season, Embiid Average 23.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game while shooting with 43.9% from the field during the first 12 games. In 50 games after a slow start, Embiid averaged 33.0 points and 12.0 rebounds per game while on 51.7% of field shooting attempts. The Sixers star eventually led the NBA in scoring and finished second in the league in the MVP vote.

Nor is it the first time Embiid has been booed by Philadelphia believers. Understandably, he didn’t seem to be in good spirits after the loss. Embiid left the attachment Without talking to the media So he did not comment on his performance or the reaction of the fans.

On the plus side of things, the Sixers still managed to stay there with one of the Eastern Conference’s top contenders despite Embiid’s poor performance. Prior to Harden’s arrival, the Sixers apparently had no chance of winning if he played that way. Harden demonstrated the ability to carry a basic load and the Sixers played a small ball lineup around a point guard who managed to overcome the two-digit deficit. The Sixers are only two games a season and once the two superstars can hit the same page and play at a high level, the ceiling for this team will be raised exponentially.