Joel Embiid thrived in a 97-92 win over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, motioning to the crowd for support during a big-time victory over a legitimate Western Conference stud. The Philadelphia 76ers big man has been known for being an entertainer and feeding off the vibes from the crowd, but he admits he hasn't reached out as often as he used to in past seasons.
“I haven't done it enough all season. I have not been having fun like usually,” said Embiid, according to Derek Bodner of The Athletic. “Like I said, just mainly because I'm still trying to figure it out You know, how to make it work and all that stuff. So, you know, and it goes back to with me being mature and one of the biggest parts of my game is just having fun. And by having fun it's talking trash. But that part has kind of been cut. So I just need to be myself, and I guess do whatever I want because when I'm having fun I dominate.
“But this year, I don't know. I can probably count on one hand how many times I've done it (hyped up the crowd). Last year it was basically a reaction. I love it. You ‘mow, they get me going. They understand me. I do understand them. So I need to start doing it again because that's how I'm gonna dominate.”
Embiid took a pledge to not talk trash this season, one that ended rather quickly into the season when he engaged fellow big man Karl-Anthony Towns and was suspended for two games as a result of an on-court skirmish. The Sixers won the game, but would go on to lose to the Phoenix Suns in their sixth game, now at 18-7 and fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
The 7-footer noted that he's chosen to repress that joyful side of his persona in order to not become a distraction to his team, which he found he was after the tiff with Towns.
“Because everybody has been talking, you know, I'm not trying to be a distraction to the team,” he said. “The fight (with Towns) happened, and we had good momentum and from there we just kinda lost it, and we lost a couple games. So I'm not trying to be a distraction, but that's just part of my game. And I feel like me losing that part has been kinda, I think it's kinda taken a toll on my game.
“So, it just goes back to me. I mean, sometimes I might be childish and, like I said, do whatever I want to. But in the game I care about winning. Everybody knows that I do whatever it takes to win. I cam about my teammates. I care about the organization. I care about being a role model. So, everybody tells me that I need to be — you know, from fans to everybody else — I gotta be mature. So I'm doing it. And I don't think it's working, but I'm gonna keep doing it.”
Embiid is struggling to find himself while repressing part of who he is as a person as an entertainer. Toning down his antics can't be easy after spending the bulk of his NBA career with a series of quirks, but his willingness to keep at it shows how much he's grown after a crushing Game 7 loss to the Toronto Raptors, and how he never wants to feel that gutted again.
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