Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

HOF coach takes shocking dig at 76ers' Joel Embiid

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 3/19/23

After coming close several times, this season might finally be the year Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid wins league MVP. While many have backed Embiid for the honor, Hall of Fame head coach George Karl shared a surprising take on the Sixers' big man.

A guest on SiriusXM NBA Radio on Sunday, Karl said he didn't want to "bad mouth" Embiid before proceeding to, well, bad mouth him.

"A lot of my assistant coaches were in Philadelphia when he was a young player, and they kept telling me he was going to be the best big guy ever to play the game," Karl said. "I see him moving in that direction, but I don't know. He takes too many possession off. He has lazy body language. He gets angry at things that we don't understand why."

Jokić or Embiid for MVP?

It’s a tough call for George Karl but here’s why he’s taking Jokic ⬇️@TermineRadio | @Jumpshot8 pic.twitter.com/gpvIQmXewK
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) March 19, 2023

Karl, who spent the bulk of his legendary coaching career with the Denver Nuggets, may have some bias for two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Nevertheless, there are better ways to campaign for Jokic than smearing Embiid with the same tired criticism, which can be easily disproven.

To be fair to Karl, Embiid has taken the fourth quarter off in consecutive games, but it wasn't due to laziness. Over his last two outings, Embiid has scored 69 points, helping lead the Sixers to blowout wins over the Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers by a combined 59 points.

The Sixers are riding an eight-game win streak, thanks mainly to Embiid. On Saturday, Embiid posted his ninth-straight game of 30 or more points, breaking a Sixers' franchise record.

Joel Embiid with his 9th straight game of 30+ points

Longest streak in Sixers history#MVP
pic.twitter.com/Y4WQKoxwfk
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) March 19, 2023

Embiid is averaging 36.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists and shooting 62 percent from the field over his remarkable stretch of dominance. Furthermore, Embiid leads the NBA in scoring (33.5) and player efficiency (31.7).

Not bad for a guy who takes plays off.

After the backhanded roasting of Embiid, Karl revealed his true motives when making his pick for MVP.

"I can only like one big guy, and I'm going to take Jokic over Embiid," Karl said.

For the record, Embiid is still the favorite to win MVP. According to Oddschecker, sportsbooks list Embiid with the best odds (-182), followed by Jokic (+380) and Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (+500).

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