Brett Brown: 76ers’ Joel Embiid has been a frustrating player to coach

By Connor Muldowney | Apr 18, 2015

Jan 5, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers injured center Joel Embiid (21) during warm ups before a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Philadelphia 76ers’ first-round draft pick in 2014, Joel Embiid, has been a handful to work with this season according to head coach Brett Brown.

As the NBA season wears on for a young player, the trials of being on the road and being away from family all the time start to get to them. However, for a guy like Philadelphia 76ers‘ big man Joel Embiid, he always seems to be in a good mood and cracking jokes. However, head coach Brett Brown says that hasn’t been the case for the big man.

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Being the first-round selection, and No. 3 overall, in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Sixers, Embiid knew he had a lot of work to do on his game and with the team in order to get them back to the playoffs for the first time in what seems like a century.

Head coach Brett Brown welcomed the idea of trying to mold Embiid’s raw skills into a superstar-type of talent, but he didn’t realize what type of player he was dealing with.

While Joel Embiid has a bright future because of his immeasurable potential, he sometimes irks the head coach with his unwillingness to learn or take advice. According to Brown, this season has been frustrating because he feels sometimes the center doesn’t listen.

According to philly.com, Embiid wasn’t always the most cooperative player. Some sources even stated that he blew off conditioning drills, not acting as a participant in some practices.

"“There were times that I wasn’t happy. And you know it’s been well-documented. If you can’t coach your best players, I call it buying time and dying. You have nothing … I tell my guys, you want me to coach you. You want to show up on time. You want to do the right thing. You want to act the right way.”"

There is a clear frustration within the organization regarding Embiid’s willingness to learn under coach Brown. Although Embiid is a supreme talent, that doesn’t always get NBA players wherever they want to go. Sometimes their personalities get the best of them, holding them back from greatness.

Let’s hope Embiid is different because I think everyone wants to see him on the court next season, proving what he’s got. Maybe it was just a tough year for Embiid because he was sidelined all season with a foot injury, not even playing a single minute.

This guy can be really, really good. Hopefully he wakes up.

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