Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers endured a tough loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night, their third defeat in the last four games. Adding to the frustrations for Sixers fans was the fact that Embiid was taken out of the game in the third quarter with four fouls, which immediately led to a Hawks run in the period.
Joel Embiid himself wasn't pleased with Doc Rivers' decision, one he believed to be the ‘wrong' one. Here's what the Sixers star had to say after the game, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“I think I'm smart enough to not foul. But I thought that's probably when the game changed. They went on that run and we could never get it back. I trust whatever my teammates and coaches say. Tonight, it just happened to be, at the time, probably the wrong decision.”
Embiid clearly feels that he should have been in the game in the third quarter, as he feels he's “smart enough to not foul.” Evidently, Doc Rivers thought otherwise, as the Sixers star big man took a seat after picking up four quick fouls.
Joel Embiid might have a point, given that he is the team's most impactful defender. However, it was on the offensive end of the floor where the Sixers big man was arguably hurting the team more, as his eight turnovers were the most he's had in any game this season.
Ultimately, foul trouble or not, the Sixers are going to need the best possible version of Joel Embiid on both ends for the team to pull itself out of an early 5-7 start.
