All 76ers

All-Star Coach Reveals Joel Embiid Demanded Teammates Play Harder

Joel Embiid wanted to see a better defensive effort, according to Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.

Justin Grasso

All-Star Coach Reveals Joel Embiid Demanded Teammates Play Harder
All-Star Coach Reveals Joel Embiid Demanded Teammates Play Harder /
In this story:

The NBA All-Star game can be tough to watch if you like defense. As some of the NBA’s best players flocked to Salt Lake City for a showcase featuring some of the top stars in the pros, everybody involved wanted to put on a show without getting hurt or too tired.

You won’t spot a playoff-like effort from players on the defensive end in the All-Star Game. For a coach like Denver Nuggets’ Michael Malone, that’s admittedly tough to watch.

After Giannis Antetokounmpo’s team defeated LeBron James’ with a high score of 184-175, Michael Malone admitted that Sunday’s game was the worst he’s ever witnessed. 

However, he did give credit to Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid for demanding harder play on the defensive end from some of his All-Star teammates.

“It's an honor to be here to be a part of a great weekend, great players, but that is the worst basketball game ever played,” said Malone. “I don't know if you can fix it. I mean, I give Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, those guys were like competing. Joel was imploring some of the guys to play harder and to try and get some defense in. No one got hurt, put on a show for the fans, but that was a tough game to sit through. I’m not gonna lie.”

Although Embiid nearly missed Sunday’s game as he considered sitting out as foot soreness lingers, Embiid made it to Utah in time to suit up and check in for 27 minutes on Sunday night. Offensively, the Sixers’ big man had a decent outing, knocking down 14 of his 19 shots from the field and scoring 32 points.

Defensively, he collected seven rebounds, one steal, and one block. 

The game wasn’t pleasing to watch for most tuned in — especially the coaches on both ends. However, Malone seemed to appreciate the effort that the Sixers’ center displayed on the floor. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

Home/News