Joe Johnson feels very differently about Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe performances in 76ers win

Joe Johnson identifies explosive movements as missing element from Joel Embiid’s game

Former player Joe Johnson believes Embiid looks physically fit but lacks the explosive movements necessary to create offense effectively during games.

“Embiid look like he laboring man. I know he went 1-9 but he don’t look explosive any more,” Johnson stated.

“His body does look good, he look like he is in shape, he just doesn’t look explosive,” he added.

The assessment suggests Embiid’s conditioning appears adequate, but his athletic explosiveness hasn’t returned to previous levels despite physical readiness, especially from his MVP era.

Joe Johnson enthusiastically endorses VJ Edgecombe as perfect Sixers fit

Johnson also addressed Edgecombe’s impressive debut performance, believing the third overall pick from the 2025 draft represents an ideal selection for Philadelphia.

“He is in elite shape, he’s an elite athlete, and he’s gonna be perfect for the Sixers,” Johnson explained.

“You can’t take this young boy out. He balled out. You want him to continue to be aggressive and be aggressive both ends of the floor, he can dominate two ends of the floor, I love him,” he added.

The 76ers desperately need young players like Edgecombe to contribute given Embiid’s inconsistency and Paul George’s injury absence.

Beyond Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey also excelled with 40 points while converting seven of nine three-point attempts.

“They ain’t taking this boy out of this lineup. He plays great off of Maxey. This backcourt has got some promise, they weren’t playing,” Johnson concluded.