"That's not really my job, that's probably on coach to talk to him" - Joel Embiid takes an obvious dig at teammate James Harden after his passive performance against Raptors
Joel Embiid did not seem too pleased by James Harden's performance in the Philadelphia 76ers' loss to the Toronto Raptors in Game 5. The ten-time All-Star scored 15 points while only attempting 11 shots on the night. Harden's failure to perform on the offensive end led to the team's 103-88 loss to the Raptors on Monday.
Jojo was upset with the team's performance and his post-game interview was certainly an indication of it. Embiid, who is playing with a thumb injury, has been double teamed by the Raptors and has not been able to be at his dominant best through the last two games.
When asked if he needed James Harden to provide more help on the offensive end, Joel Emiid replied by saying:
"I've been saying all season since he got here, he needs to be aggressive and he needs to be himself. That's not really my job, that's probably on coach to talk to him and tell him to take more shots. Especially if they're going to guard me the way they've been guarding. But that's not really my job."
Embiid on Harden only taking 11 shots: "I've been saying all season since he got here, he needs to be aggressive and he needs to be himself. That's not really my job, that's probably on coach to talk to him and tell him to take more shots"
Full quote: https://t.co/vc5WIpROLO
The Philadelphia 76ers shot the ball at 38.3% from the field. They seemed to be on the back foot throughout the game and missed quite a lot of their chances. Joel Embiid led the scorers among the 76ers players as no one other than him seemed to be able to find a way out to break down the Raptors' defense.
Explaining the team's offensive struggles in the game, Joel Embiid said:
"We all need to be better offensively. We missed a bunch of wide open shots, at times I felt like we just invited, when I was getting doubled, we were not aggressive attacking the ball around the perimeter, and that gave them time to recover, and that's why we were not able to get anything out of it."
The series is still 3-2 in Philly's favor, but the next game will be played in Toronto, which means that the Raptors will have home support. James Harden will have to find himself and help the 76ers get to a win as taking the series into Game 7 could make things tricky.
First OG, then Pascal, now Precious. The Raptors are going AT Joel Embiid and making him guard on the perimeter https://t.co/t19kqvAomj
Joel Embiid has managed to play well with his injury, but if the 76ers are to get the job done, Harden will have to take a bit of the scoring responsibility, which looks to be the only way the Philadelphia 76ers can succeed in the playoffs.
Is Joel Embiid's injury going to affect the Philadelphia 76ers' chances to advance into the next round?
Joel Embiid suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb after Game 3 of the first-round series against the Raptors. However, he has decided to continue playing through injury, which speaks volumes about his desire to win.
The big man has not been as dominant as he was previously but has still managed to score 21 and 20 points in Games 4 and 5 respectively.
Joel Embiid (torn ligaments in right thumb) will require surgery but he will wait until after the 76ers' season, per @wojespn https://t.co/sUUKULbwvt
His injury has certainly affected the way the 76ers have played as they have looked a little off on the offensive end. The series is currently in the 76ers' favor and they need only one win to win it, but the Raptors have certainly capitalized on Embiid's injury and are trying their level best to make their way back into the series.
2 v 1, anyone? https://t.co/1wrWvFi5Sn
With Embiid injured, the likes of James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris need to take control of the team. These are all capable players and can help the 76ers win one game to wrap up the series.
However, post this, the playoff campaign gets tougher and if the 76ers are to make a deeper run with Embiid playing injured, they will need the aforementioned players to keep delivering for the team.