J.J. Redick is considered the elder statesman on what is an overall very young and inexperienced Philadelphia 76ers club, so when he sees something that the young players are doing something wrong, he is going to point it out.
Earlier in the season, big man Joel Embiid made some comments that could have been misinterpreted, and Redick says that he made sure to let Embiid know what he was saying could be twisted the wrong way:
“The perception of what you said makes it seem from the outside like there's dysfunction, like there's a disconnect between you and your teammates, and there's a disconnect between you and Brett,” Redick said he told Embiid when the All-Star center talked about how he didn't like being a “spacer” and how the ball wasn't getting to him enough (per Jacke MacMullan of ESPN). “Now, that isn't true, but it could be interpreted that way.”
While Embiid is unquestionably one of the most talented players in the league, maturity has been a problem for him at times, and Redick is there to help with that.
“You're a top-five talent,” Redick continued. “You can do and say whatever the (expletive) you want, but should you? You and Ben [Simmons] want to be the face of the franchise — and there's obviously some leeway you get because of that. But you also have a responsibility to your teammates and your coaches to accept leadership in a mature way.”
Embiid is in what is just his second full season in the NBA following a myriad of injury issues over his first three years, two of which he sat out entirely.
The 76ers currently trail the Toronto Raptors 1-0 in their second-round playoff series. They will take on the Raptors in Game 2 on Monday night.
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