Joel Embiid has been the face of the Philadelphia 76ers franchise for quite some time now. Unfortunately, his face has often been seen on the bench in street clothes due to injury. He appeared in just 39 games last jump season and hasn’t played in more than 68 since being drafted in 2014.
Now, the 30-year-old is gearing up for the Olympics for Team USA. There’s a former NBA player with plenty of accolades who believes the 76ers should have told him to sit out.
Former NBA Champion Believes Embiid Shouldn’t Play In Olympics
Rasheed Wallace Speaks On Embiid’s Injury History
Rasheed Wallace played 16 seasons in the NBA. Standing at 6-foot-11, he was named to four All-Star teams. Wallace totaled 16,006 points and 7,404 rebounds in his career. In 2004, he won a championship with the Detroit Pistons.
The former NBA great now has his own podcast entitled Sheed & Tyler. Speaking on his podcast, Wallace said the 76ers shouldn’t have allowed Embiid to participate in the Paris Olympics.
In the clip, Wallace mentions how an NBA title should be more important than an Olympic gold medal. While that is debatable, surely the 76ers front office and team as a whole are more concerned with Embiid earning them a championship ring. The problem for Philadelphia is that the seven-foot center often enters the postseason nowhere close to 100 percent.
Dominant When Healthy
Nobody can question the immense talent that Embiid possesses. He can score from inside and out. He makes life extremely difficult for opposing big men on the defensive end. Embiid has also improved his playmaking skills as his career has progressed.
Embiid was named the league’s MVP in 2022-23. He may have been in line to repeat last season prior to getting injured. In the regular season, he averaged more than a point per minute (34.7 points in 33.6 minutes per game).
Once again, he entered the 2024 playoffs not at full strength. The 76ers were eliminated by the New York Knicks in the opening round in six games. While Embiid averaged 33 points in the series, his scoring efficiency was down. He shot 44.4% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range. Those numbers were well down from his 52.9% field goal and 38.8% three-point shooting in the 2023-24 regular season.
That has become somewhat of a theme for the seven-time All-Star. During the regular season, Embiid has a career mark of 50.4% shooting from the field and. 34.1% from beyond the arc. In 59 playoff games, those marks fall to 45.9% from the field and 28.9% from three-point range. The 76ers have yet to advance past the second round of the playoffs with Embiid on the team.
There are a lot of expectations for Philadelphia prior to the 2024-25 season. They signed Paul George in free agency to a max four-year, $212 million deal. They have also added Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon, and Andre Drummond in free agency. With the 16th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the 76ers selected Jared McCain out of Duke. While they are seen as being on the short list of contenders, it still largely depends on a healthy Embiid come playoff time.
