Watch: Joel Embiid has interesting comments on his future
Joel Embiid recently admitted that he doesn't know what the future holds for him with the Philadelphia 76ers, or if he'll even stay with the organization long term.
During an interview with Maverick Carter at the launch of Miniature Géant Studio at the UNINTERRUPTED Film Festival last week, Embiid stressed that winning an NBA title is his number one priority, even if it means leaving the franchise that he's spent his entire career with.
He was selected third overall by the Sixers in the 2014 NBA Draft and has made six consecutive All-Star teams, while capturing his first MVP award this past spring.
The Cameroonian big man led the league in scoring for the second straight season and he averaged 10.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while tying last year's career high in assists per contest (4.2) across 66 tilts. Embiid also shot a career-best 54.8% from the field.
His scoring average dropped to 23.7 points per game in the playoffs and Philadelphia blew a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics. Embiid's playoff numbers also dropped in rebounds (9.8) and assists (2.7), even though he was averaging nearly three more minutes per bout (37.3) than he did in the regular season.
His field goal percentage also sunk to 43.1% this postseason and he went an abysmal 5-for-28 (17.9%) on three-pointers. Embiid's performance in the Game 7 loss to the Celtics was arguably his worst of the postseason, as he had just 15 points and one assist (against four turnovers), while shooting 5-for-18 from the field and 0-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Days after the loss to Boston, the Sixers fired head coach Doc Rivers, a move that "shocked" Embiid.
Since the 29-year-old debuted in the 2016-17 season, Philadelphia has lost in the second round of the playoffs five times and the first round once.
More must-reads: