Shaquille O’Neal recently shared his take on Joel Embiid not being fit to play in his era of the NBA
The four-time NBA champion is regarded by many as one of the most dominant players in the league.
His ability in the paint instilled fear in opponents, which is what helped Shaquille O’Neal achieve all the laurels in his career.
After a glorious NBA career, the Hall of Famer has been working with ‘Inside the NBA’ and doing things around the league, which leads to meeting current players quite a lot.
He often comments his thoughts about the game and they are not always taken well by the players.
O’Neal revealed he once went at Philadelphia 76ers‘ center Joel Embiid, but his response convinced him that the player could not survive in his era.
Shaq and Zach Randolph were discussing which players in the current generation would survive in their era, where the game was extremely physical.
When Randolph suggested Embiid’s name, O’Neal refused to give him the recognition of being able to play in their era by telling why.
“I came at him one day and his response was, ‘ Guys don’t play like that no more,’ I’m like, ‘Mo***** what you talking about’ like bro go inside, punish, ‘Oh guys don’t play like that no more,’ I’m like done even talking to you,” said O’Neal on ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq.’
O’Neal is one of the best centers and his thoughts will spark some concern in Philly fans.
While Embiid is right and the game has changed, if you are a big man, who can impose your will, there is no need for the team to run any complicated offensive schemes.
What makes it better for Embiid is that he is skilled and can adapt the game to his skillset.
The 76ers started ‘The Process’ in a bid to compete for a championship around 2013.
Embiid was drafted as a part of that in 2014 and was expected to change things around in Philly.
Although it took some time to make the team competitive, around 2017, the team was properly constructed and ready to compete in the East.
However, they always fell short, be it either a close defeat in the playoffs or injury problems.
The team has not had a good strike of luck and this also includes Embiid, who has suffered a lot of injuries throughout his NBA career.
In the 2023 season, Embiid won the MVP award and it looked like the 76ers had everything needed to win.
They once again fell short after a horrific Game 7 performance to the Boston Celtics in the second round.
Embiid has never managed to get past the second round in his time with the 76ers and this is something that was expected to change last season with the arrival of Paul George.
The center once again had an injury-prone season and things just did not work well for the 76ers.
He has also been linked with a move away from the 76ers with LA Lakers also involved.
Embiid is certainly dominant, but there are huge question marks on his ability to maintain fitness for an entire season.
Having undergone surgery on his knee, Embiid has had time to recover with an extended offseason, which will be a great boost for him.
The 76ers are not expected to do worse than last season, but Embiid has to ensure he is at his very best.
Although players like Paul George and Tyrese Maxey are there, it is Embiid that is the star and his dominance is what will get over the line if the 76ers are to be competitive.
