Injured Philadelphia Sixers rookie big man Joel Embiid has become a fan-favorite despite not having played a second of NBA ball.
The fun-loving Embiid makes people smile through his silly Tweets and whatnot, but there appear to be issues with his employer.
The third overall pick in the 2014 Draft has reportedly gained close to fifty pounds while sitting out, and some in the Sixers organization don’t think he’s working hard enough to recover from surgery to repair a fractured right foot.
Per the Philly Inquirer:
Embiid has a weight issue. Although the Sixers wouldn’t disclose his weight, a source said he’s close to 300 pounds after being 250 pounds at Kansas last season.
His work ethic is being questioned by some inside the organization. […] And a blowup with assistant strength and conditioning coach James Davis is one of the reasons he was sent home during the team’s recent West Coast road trip.
(Sixers forward Luc Mbah a Moute) knows more about his fellow Cameroonian than anyone here in the United States. He spotted Embiid at a basketball camp in their homeland several years ago. The 28-year-old has mentored Embiid ever since. […] “Obviously, you can see some of his immaturity [in] his tweets sometimes,” Mbah a Moute said. “But you can also understand how mature he is in certain situations the way he handled himself … He’s a good kid, man. At the end of the day, it’s tough for him being in a situation where people can’t really see who he is as a person.”
