76ers News: Shaquille O'Neal Reacts to Joel Embiid's Limited Workload

Hall of Fame center shares his thoughts on 76ers being cautious with Joel Embiid.

May 26, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Shaquille O'Neal before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves in game three of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Before this season got underway, the Philadelphia 76ers were adamant about making sure Joel Embiid gets to the postseason healthy. Their cautiousness with the former MVP has led to many fans and analysts speaking out against him.

On numerous occasions throughout his career, Embiid has faced ailments in the postseason that have hindered him. Last year is the latest example, dealing with a knee injury and a case of Bell's palsy against the New York Knicks. The Sixers have not rushed Embiid as he contiues to recover from said knee injury, which has resulted in him missing the first few games of the regular seaosn.

Among those to speak out against Embiid for his limited workload is Shaquille O'Neal. He primarily brought up some comments the Sixers star made during the preseason, stating that he doesn't expect to play back-to-backs ever again in his career. O'Neal did not mince his words when diving into this remark.

"With his statements the other day, I don't think Joel wants to be that guy," Shaq said. "You can't come out before a season and say I'm not playing back-to-backs...Spell it S-O-F capital T."

Later on, Shaq did make it clear that he still believes Embiid can put up big numbers. He is hoping that comments like this will light a fire under him when he makes his return to action.

"He can do it. He got pissed off one time last year, how many he drop? 70," Shaq continued. "If you can drop 70 when you're pissed off, you can average 40."

Embiid did travel with the Sixers on their two-game road trip, but there is still no firm timeline in terms of when he'll be in the lineup. He has already been ruled out for Sunday's afternoon matchup against the Indiana Pacers.