Joel Embiid Questions 76ers' Effort After Loss vs. Raptors

Joel Embiid acknowledges his team's issue following another loss on Wednesday.

When the Philadelphia 76ers picked up their third loss of the 2022-2023 season last Saturday, the veteran forward PJ Tucker called out the team’s effort in the locker room following the game, according to Sixers head coach Doc Rivers.

“It’s almost like we played these first two games hard, competed, and now we can win some games,” Rivers said last week. “You still got to go out and earn the game. Tuck was yelling that after the game, and he was right. No one’s just gonna give you a win. You have to go and get it, and you have to do it every night. You can’t pick and choose when we’re gonna show up right now, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Tucker’s message worked for the Sixers temporarily. When the team returned to the floor in South Philly on Monday night, the 76ers took care of business against the Indiana Pacers. The Sixers hit the road for a four-game trip, beginning with a two-game stint against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

At 1-3, the Sixers looked to turn things around on Wednesday night. They came up short as a slow start in Toronto caused the Sixers to collect their fourth loss in five games.

Following the matchup, 76ers big man Joel Embiid didn’t hold back when he pointed to a lack of effort being a reason why the Sixers couldn’t build a winning streak on Wednesday night.

“It’s all about effort,” Embiid said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. “You got to be honest about it. It doesn’t matter what the coaching staff says. It doesn’t matter what the game plan is. If we don’t go out there and execute, we are not going to go anywhere.”

Embiid isn’t alone in his thoughts. Last week, after the Sixers dropped their third-straight game against the rebuilding San Antonio Spurs, Doc Rivers pointed to his team’s lack of effort on the court as a reason they aren’t ready to win yet.

Rivers not only reiterated that message on Wednesday after the loss against the Raptors, but he credited Toronto for simply displaying more effort and energy than the Sixers on the floor.

“You still should be able to sneak out wins and win games with your effort,” said Rivers. “I thought they had far more energy than us tonight.”

A hot start for the Raptors put the Sixers behind by double digits in the first quarter. The Sixers managed to cut it down to single digits multiple times throughout the matchup but never changed the lead beyond the first 12 minutes of action.

Embiid’s personal performance was impressive, as he finished the night with 31 points in 37 minutes. But after seeing the team effort, the Sixers didn’t instill hope within the locker room on Wednesday as their lack of effort flat-out caused them to take another bad loss on Wednesday. 

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