Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid didn't play like his normal self in Thursday's loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, and there may be a reason for that.

Sixers head coach Doc Rivers told reporters Friday that Embiid dealt with plantar fasciitis leading up to training camp, which impacted his normal training and conditioning program, per Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia:

"He had a little plantar fasciitis before the season started—before training camp—and that took him off his conditioning program. And so he's back on that. But listen, he's playing with the right intentions. He just didn't play well, and that's OK, too. That's going to happen. We've still got to win those games."

The Sixers fell to 0-2 with Thursday's 90-88 loss to the Bucks. Embiid finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and one block in about 36 minutes. He made 6-of-21 shots from the floor and 1-of-3 shots from deep in an uncharacteristic performance.

It's not necessarily surprising to hear Rivers mention that Embiid's offseason training was impacted due to injury. The veteran big man alluded to some hiccups in his conditioning following the team's final preseason game on Oct. 12.

"I'm feeling OK," Embiid said, per Levick. "I'm still working my way back. I've had an on-and-off summer as far as being able to really do stuff on the basketball court. But I've got four, five days to be ready, and I'll be ready."

In addition to plantar fasciitis, Embiid had to work his way back from surgery on his right thumb and a procedure on his left index finger in May. He also had to recover from a right orbital fracture and concussion suffered during the 2022 playoffs.

It's worth noting that Embiid had a solid game in Philadelphia's season-opening loss to the Boston Celtics, finishing with 26 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and one block in 37 minutes. He made 9-of-18 shots from the floor and 1-of-6 shots from deep.

Embiid will surely return to form as the season rolls on. He's coming off a 2021-22 campaign that saw him average 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 blocks en route to an All-Star selection and second-place finish in MVP voting.

The Sixers will aim for their first win of the season on Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs.

What is going on with Joel Embiid?

That was the question on the minds of NBA fans after the Philadelphia 76ers superstar center had another tough night in Thursday's 90-88 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks, dropping Philly to 0-2 on the season.

Embiid struggled from the field, shooting 6-of-21 while scoring 15 points. He added 12 rebounds, three assists and four turnovers.

It's not the Embiid we've come to expect, especially in a brutal third quarter that saw him shoot 0-for-4, score zero points, have a shot blocked and turn the ball over three times.

Those struggles weren't lost on NBA Twitter:

Joel Embiid in the second half:

0 PTS
0-7 FG
3 TOV

@PointsBetUSA pic.twitter.com/g1pUATITma

— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 21, 2022

This #Sixers loss is on Joel Embiid

— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) October 21, 2022

Sixers aren't gonna sweat 50-50 game outcome, but bigger picture they need Embiid to be way better than he was in the first two games to get anywhere near where they want to be.

— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) October 21, 2022

https://twitter.com/btoporek/status/1583262011672391680

Embiid doesn't seem to have the same level of pop/explosiveness that he's had the last couple of years yet? Been a bit off in these two games. A bit slow in ball-screen coverages, not quite as powerful as a leaper. Might be working his way into the season a bit?

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) October 21, 2022

it’s not even about him playing bad, the body language, the shot selection, the no effort, it’s like we are watching an entirely different player compared to the last 2 years

— Prez💊 ‘ (@PresidentEmbiid) October 21, 2022

Joel Embiid is playing one of the single worst quarters of his career, the offense has zero rhythm and the Sixers can't make a 3. The fans are booing. Still over a quarter left, but not an ideal start to the season for the Sixers.

— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) October 21, 2022

Joel Embiid looked better to close the second quarter, but he's having a rough time in the second half. Doesn't look right at all.

— Paul Hudrick (@PaulHudrick) October 21, 2022

This might be one of the worst quarters I’ve ever seen from Joel Embiid.

— Harrison Grimm (@Harrison_Grimm) October 21, 2022

Booing Embiid in game 2. Philly fans are tough as a two dollar cheesesteak.

— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) October 21, 2022

Embiid is almost universally loved in Philly. If he's getting booed at a home, well, it's going bad.

He wasn't the only culprit in the loss. The Sixers shot 5-of-24 from three. The bench was outscored by Milwaukee's reserves 29-13. And Tobias Harris' head-scratching decision to help off Wesley Matthews on what turned out to be the game-winning three was hard to justify.

WESLEY MATTHEWS CLUTCH https://t.co/MrkKL3ylsq

— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 21, 2022

It all spoiled a superb night from James Harden, who looks like he's primed for a monster season after putting up 31 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, his second straight game exceeding 30 points.

Ultimately, losing to one of the NBA's best teams by two points in a back-and-forth, October showdown isn't the end of the world for the Sixers. After giving up 126 points to the Boston Celtics in the opener, the defense was far better, containing Giannis Antetokounmpo to the tune of 21 points.

But Embiid's struggles to start the season are a bigger concern. Yes, he's faced two of the best defensive teams in the NBA in the Celtics and Bucks. The season is young, and Embiid has been a force of nature the past two years. More than likely, he'll figure it out.

Still, his body language, effort and execution were all out of whack on Thursday. It's the sort of thing that will be discussed vigorously on more than a few sports-radio talk shows in Philadelphia tomorrow.

Despite being one of the most successful NBA players of this generation, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is not content with anything but an NBA championship.

Speaking to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Embiid said not winning a championship feels "like you just frickin' wasted time."

Embiid has a unique perspective because he can directly impact the outcome of a game, meaning losses and wins can be more directly attributed to his play than that of most in the league. He has felt the toll of devastating playoff losses throughout his career.

One of the most indelible images from Embiid's career was his emotional reaction after Kawhi Leonard's four-bounce buzzer beater gave the Toronto Raptors a 92-90 win over the Sixers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Joel Embiid was emotional following the Game 7 loss in Toronto. pic.twitter.com/N5bPgKyhHz

— ESPN (@espn) May 13, 2019

Few players in the NBA have more fire and passion than Embiid. He's embraced being the face of Philadelphia basketball, with often positive results for himself and the team.

A five-time All-Star, Embiid has finished second in MVP voting in each of the past two seasons. The Sixers have made the playoffs in each of the previous five seasons, but they have yet to advance past the second round.

Philadelphia's last appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals was during the 2000-01 season. The team defeated the Milwaukee Bucks to reach the NBA Finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.

No one will argue that Embiid's career has been a failure to this point, but the 28-year-old is still chasing the championship that has eluded the 76ers franchise for 39 years.

The Philadelphia 76ers' short-term championship ambitions rest firmly on the shoulders of James Harden, but their long-term future will undoubtedly lie with Tyrese Maxey.

HoopsHype's Michael Scotto polled 20 NBA executives to list the players on the cusp of a breakout in 2022-23. Maxey topped the group with five first-place votes, and one general manager had high praise for the young guard.

"Maxey’s going to be better than James Harden," the GM said. "He just keeps getting better and better and will be a huge reason why they have success this season."

Maxey took a massive step forward in his second season, averaging 17.5 points and 4.3 assists while shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 42.7 percent from beyond the arc.

The 21-year-old guard is a big reason why the Sixers were able to maintain a top-four challenge in the Eastern Conference despite missing Ben Simmons and eventually trading him to the Brooklyn Nets.

Based on Philly's 126-117 opening-night loss to the Boston Celtics, Maxey might be hitting yet another level this year. He finished with 21 points, two assists and two steals in 38 minutes on the floor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN3k8L4uLr8

The Sixers certainly need him to carry that performance over because the defeat—while just one game in an 82-game season—highlighted some areas that could hold them back.

The bench combined to score 11 points, fewer than Grant Williams and Malcolm Brogdon provided individually for Boston in reserve roles. As much as the front office did to strengthen the roster depth, the offense will likely be heavily reliant on the axis of Maxey, Harden and Joel Embiid.

The Celtics also had a 24-2 scoring edge in fast-break points. The backcourt pair of Harden and Maxey can leave something to be desired on defense, making their offensive contributions all the more critical.

Harden and Maxey back is not the greatest transition defensive duo you might face

— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) October 18, 2022

With a Harden/Maxey backcourt there is a ceiling on their defense so their offense will need to be ELITE, and if it’s “4 guys standing and watching” it will top out at pretty good.

I’ll add that for a team with questionable transition D, bad offensive process is more worrisome.

— Anchorage Man (@SethPartnow) October 19, 2022

Beating the Celtics would have allowed the 76ers to lay down an early marker in the battle for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Nonetheless, they provided plenty of reasons to be excited about what's to come, and Maxey showed flashes of the dynamic player he can be on offense.

James Harden was listening.

There were questions after his 2021-22 season about whether he had lost a step or whether his prime years were a thing of the past after he didn't appear to be his vintage self following his trade to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Harden sure looked like his old self on Tuesday night, putting up 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a season-opening 126-117 loss to the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics.

VINTAGE Harden step-back 🔥 https://t.co/NzEIWca4nm

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 19, 2022

JAMES HARDEN 😱 https://t.co/rgwqUXwoS8

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 19, 2022

Philly fans won't be thrilled with the loss to a hated rival. Nonetheless, seeing Harden play at an extremely high level was a good sign.

And the NBA community noticed:

Flames Harden. pic.twitter.com/9ZFdDUNu55

— nba paint (@nba_paint) October 19, 2022

Lots of encouraging stuff from James Harden tonight. Already a bunch of threes and we just saw a floater and a midrange pull-up. Still plenty to figure out, but a great sign going forward.

— Paul Hudrick (@PaulHudrick) October 19, 2022

This is as good as I’ve seen Harden since he was working with @irv_roland 💯. Real ones know !

— MarkJonesESPN (@MarkJonesESPN) October 19, 2022

Whew what a pass by Harden in pick and roll. Again, I think he manipulates defensive positioning better than any player in the league.

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) October 19, 2022

Check out the midrange game on Hesi Pullup Jimbo Harden over here

— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) October 19, 2022

first quarter of the first game of the season and harden is drawing fouls by sticking his leg out. nature is healing

— Molly Morrison (@mollyhannahm) October 18, 2022

james harden baiting a defender into a fouling him on a 3 the nba is back babyyyyyyyyyyyyy

— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) October 18, 2022

Defense is hard in the NBA when you have new pieces. Biggest thing from the Sixers game is that James Harden looked great. They'll build on this one

— Tyrone Johnson (@TyJohnsonNews) October 19, 2022

Heck, even Harden's misses caused a ripple online:

The Harden shimmy, the brick, the Marcus Smart flop...

NBA is back 🤣 https://t.co/eV2DucHcI9

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 19, 2022

James Harden shimmying after Smart went down and firing up an airball was absolutely electric

— John Karalis 🇬🇷 (@John_Karalis) October 19, 2022

Harden Shimmy-Bricking like every opening message I ever sent on Tinder.

— ian karmel (@IanKarmel) October 19, 2022

The Harden shimmy and the horrific miss 😂😂😂😂😂

— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) October 19, 2022

The Sixers will have plenty to work out after Tuesday's tough loss. The defense was poor—which is a nice way of putting it—and allowed Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (35 points each) to basically score at will.

Joel Embiid had solid counting stats (26 points, 15 rebounds, five assists) but was loose with the ball, turning it over six times, and didn't look particularly effective as a defender.

In the grand scheme of things, Tuesday's loss was one game of 82. The defense should stabilize somewhat as a slew of new players added in the offseason, like P.J. Tucker, Danuel House, De'Anthony Melton and Montrezl Harrell, learn to play together.

Doc Rivers will get a better handle on the rotations. You wouldn't bet on Embiid having a net rating of minus-13 like he had on Tuesday very often.

The bigger story, then, was Harden's performance. He looked like the player we saw with the Houston Rockets and briefly with the Brooklyn Nets when he first arrived. And if the Sixers get that version of Harden going forward, they will be a force to be reckoned with this season.

The entire city of Philadelphia will be waiting with boo birds—and probably some other birds—ready to fly at Ben Simmons when the Brooklyn Nets visit the Sixers next month.

Simmons says he's ready.

"F--k, I can't wait to go there, yeah," Simmons told Nick Friedell of ESPN. "But for me, everything's an experience and a learning situation. So for me, I'm able to learn something that I've never been through before. I've never been traded and played against a team that I got traded from. Kev has, Ky has, a lot of guys have, but I've never been in that situation so...you have to go through it. Ky went back to Boston, and he didn't play well, but it's a lot. We're people, too. We want to go out there and prove everyone wrong."

Simmons exited Philadelphia in February as one of the most reviled athletes in the city's history. After years of defending the three-time All-Star amid his lack of development as a shooter, Sixers fans turned on him—and hard—as he melted down during the 2021 NBA playoffs.

The situation reached a fever pitch when a chorus of boos rained down on Simmons after he passed up a wide-open dunk, seemingly in fear of getting fouled, during the Sixers' Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Sixers spent the 2021 offseason attempting to find a trade partner for Simmons, who then refused to play after the front office didn't find a deal to its liking. Citing mental health concerns, Simmons held out for more than five months before the Sixers sent him to Brooklyn as part of a deadline-day deal that brought James Harden to Philadelphia.

When the Nets visited Philadelphia a month after the deadline, fans lined up in droves to express their dislike of Simmons despite the fact he wasn't even playing because of a back injury. Still, Simmons says he hopes for a potential reconciliation down the line.

"Who knows? I can't predict the future," Simmons said. "I would have never told myself this would have gone this way at the start of my career. Who knows if in four or five years I end up going back? I don't know. It could be a whole different situation, but for now, I don't want to make my mind up and say it's not possible for anything to change."

It's clear there are still some hard feelings on a personal level from Simmons as well. While he expressed admiration for Joel Embiid as a player, he made it clear the two never shared a personal relationship while they were teammates.

The dynamic when the two share the floor for the first time as opponents will be one of the most intriguing storylines of the NBA's first month.

Despite being teammates for five-plus seasons, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid never had much of a relationship off the court.

Speaking to ESPN's Nick Friedell, Simmons said he and Embiid "never really spoke" during their time together with the Philadelphia 76ers:

"I don't think there was really a relationship there. Like in terms of a friendship? You can try as hard as you want to try to be close to somebody, be their friend, whatever it is, but everyone is different as people, so for me, it's never personal. I don't have any anger or hate towards him. He is who he is and I am who I am. And we've got our personal lives. And work is basketball, so in that moment, my goal is to win and I got to win with Jo. He's a great player, we just didn't get it done."

There have been indications from both players that they didn't have a close relationship outside of being teammates.

In a March interview with Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, soon after Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, Embiid said he didn't hold any resentment toward the three-time All-Star.

"I wouldn’t mind being friends," Embiid said. "That’s just me. I don’t care. Honestly. I respect the decision he made. I think it’s unfortunate what happened, but to me it’s whatever."

The end of the Philadelphia 76ers' era with Simmons and Embiid as the top two players came on June 20, 2021. The Sixers lost in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Atlanta Hawks.

After the game, Embiid and head coach Doc Rivers were critical of Simmons for his performance in the game. The entire saga spilled over to the start of the 2021-22 season, eventually leading to Philadelphia trading Simmons to Brooklyn in February.

Simmons ultimately sat out all of last season to focus on his mental health and a back injury that required surgery in May. The 26-year-old has been playing for the Nets throughout the preseason.

Brooklyn's first preseason game was against the Sixers on Oct. 3. Simmons scored six points with five assists and four rebounds in 19 minutes. He had his best showing of the preseason on Wednesday, dropping seven points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in a 107-97 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Simmons will make his regular-season debut for the Nets on Oct. 19 against the New Orleans Pelicans at Barclays Center.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is a wanted man leading up to the 2024 Olympics.

Per NBA insider Marc Stein in his Substack Newsletter, Embiid has "firm interest" from Team USA for the Paris Games.

Stein noted Embiid, who gained French citizenship in July, is also being pursued by the host country to play for the French national team.

Embiid told reporters on Sept. 29 he was also sworn in as a U.S. citizen earlier in the month.

"I've been here for a long time," the five-time All-Star said. "My son is American. I felt like, I'm living here and it's a blessing to be an American. So I said, why not?"

French national team coach Vincent Collet told reporters Thursday he's hopeful Embiid will play for him in two years.

"I know he met some of our players to discuss," Collet said. "I think he should play with us. But we will see. We will respect his decision whatever it is."

Even though the Olympic teams would probably like a swift decision, Embiid made it clear he's not focused on 2024 right now.

"I just want to be healthy and win a championship and go from there," he said last month.

Embiid, who was born in Cameroon, has yet to participate in the Olympics. He was mentored by fellow Cameroon basketball player Luc Mbah a Moute before heading to Kansas in 2013.

Steve Kerr will be the head coach for Team USA during this Olympic cycle. He will take over for Gregg Popovich, who led the squad to a gold medal at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

The U.S. team defeated France 87-82 in the men's final to win its fourth consecutive Olympic title. Despite the loss, the French squad tied its best finish at the Olympics and medaled for the first time since 2000.

Team USA is the top squad in the FIBA world rankings. Spain, Australia, Argentina and France round out the top five.

While Embiid decides about his Olympic future, he is also preparing for his ninth season with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 28-year-old is coming off the best season of his career. He averaged an NBA-best 30.6 points per game and finished second in MVP voting.

The Sixers will open the regular season on Oct. 18 against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers said that he wants guard James Harden to be a "scoring Magic Johnson" for his team this year.

Rivers made the remarks in a conversation on NBA Today (45-second mark).

"I think we've talked so much about him being a facilitator ... but I need him to be James Harden too," Rivers said. "If I had to combine, I would say a scoring Magic Johnson, I don't know ... but that's what I want him to be.

"I want him to be a James Harden, but in that, I want him to also be the facilitator of this basketball team too. So in a lot of ways, his role is growing bigger for our team, and I just want him to keep thinking, 'Do both.'"

Harden was a dominant scorer in his heyday, notably leading the NBA in points per game from 2017-18 to 2019-20 with the Houston Rocket. But the past two years with the Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and 76ers have seen him defer more on the scoring end and become more of a facilitator.

He's averaged 10.5 assists per game over the last two years. His 21.0 points per game last year was his lowest mark since 2011-12, when he was the third option on an Oklahoma City Thunder team that featured Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

As for the Johnson comparison, Magic was best known for his remarkable facilitating abilities on the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers, who won five NBA titles under his leadership. He led the NBA in assists four times and averaged 11.2 per game for his career.

A "scoring Magic Johnson" would be an incredible asset (and a likely MVP candidate) for the 76ers, who already sport one of the game's brightest stars in Joel Embiid alongside a solid supporting cast that includes Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey.

We'll soon find out how Harden and the 76ers fare this year as they start the season on Oct. 18 at the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics.

The Process is officially a United States citizen.

Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid, who was born in Cameroon, told Dan Gelston of the Associated Press on Thursday that he was sworn in as an American citizen two weeks ago.

"I've been here for a long time," he said. "My son is American. I felt like, I'm living here and it's a blessing to be an American. So I said, why not?"

Embiid also has French citizenship, though he still hasn't made a decision on which team he might represent in international basketball.

The MVP runner-up from each of the last two seasons averaged 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals per game in the 2021-22 campaign, leading the Sixers to their fifth straight postseason appearance.