Embiid trolls Westbrook following loss to OKC Thunder
Russell Westbrook needs little motivation on any given day. The reigning MVP simply wants to win, period. Perhaps instead of trolling, 76ers rising super star Joel Embiid could learn something from Westbrook.
Shade over wins?
Occasionally the gut check offers hints of the future. Or in this case, maybe the ‘process’. Heading into the match it wasn’t a stretch to imagine spill over from the game in Philly would travel to Oklahoma City.
Considering Joel Embiid loves the spotlight and throwing shade it was an easy assessment to make. Factoring in Westbrook’s game approach, OKC playing at home on the second game of a back to back and the loss of Roberson made the prediction obvious.
Flash forward to game action and Embiid delivered a blistering dunk on Russ. An argument can be made Westbrook took a charge (if not, why wasn’t the play whistled as a block? ), but was deemed a clean play.
So, yeah I expected the banter, kibitzing and vitriol to play out between the squads. But, it’s what Embiid chose to do post game which offers further insight why existing players take issue with the big man. The 76ers center posted the image on his social media and entered “Crime Scene Investigation” as the location caption.
Related: Westbrook vs. Embiid – Round 2 of the Shade Show
Call me old school, but this is a team who own you (OKC have 18 consecutive wins versus Philly). Nor can I think of a worse player to troll or offer additional motivation than Westbrook. It’s on par with making fun of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or even Kevin Garnett whose pregame preparation was classic. To wit, teammates of The Big Ticket spoke of how KG would work himself into a lather talking smack about opponents.
Remember this in April and May, because when your super star is trolling another super star after a loss I wonder if it says his priorities are more personal than team oriented.
Chemistry is an intangible, just ask the players in the Cavaliers locker room. So, could something (potentially innocent and tied to building his brand) end up sending the message to his teammates that losing doesn’t matter?
His peers are less than impressed:
Embiid is an amazing generational talent, with a ceiling of who knows how high given he’s played in a total of 68 games.
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His peers voted Kristaps Porzingis ahead of him to start in the All-Star Game, so either they feel the unicorn was more deserving, or they take issue with his trolling. Both players are exceptional, but it’s doubtful a majority of GMs would pick Porzingis before Embiid, unless they think he’d be a better chemistry fit or worry about the potential long term health.
Actions like his post game tweet beg the question – what will Embiid do when the Sixers move up a level and enter the upper tier?
Will these types of shade shots continue? And, how will the stars and teams of the league respond to it?
Doubtful the super stars will take kindly to having their noses rubbed in salt and will likely respond in kind.
Simply put, could you imagine Westbrook posting one of his many dunks in a losing effort? Nah, that’s LaVar Ball type shade.
My hope is this generational talent will figure out a better balance of how to utilize his quick wit. As fans of the game we enjoy witnessing Embiid’s greatness. Yet, perhaps he could make it easier on himself by simply making a few tweaks.
Some will say, just let him be young and enjoy this time in his career (and to be honest, that is more than fair). Yet, with the East in such turmoil and uncertainty of who’ll advance I raise this issue given the opportunity for the Sixers to make an earlier rise up the ladder. Like it or not Embiid is the Sixers leader so that extra burden falls on his shoulders.
Ultimately, the choice is his, yet I think he’d gain an even greater following and the respect of his peers if he did.
If not, then don’t be surprised if teams and super stars return the favor – ‘in game’.