Joel Embiid questions coaching after Christmas Day loss to Celtics

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 25: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks down while on the bench during the third quarter of the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on December 25, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid isn’t too happy with his head coach, Brett Brown, right now.

Joel Embiid is one of the most outspoken players in the NBA. That can be a blessing and a curse. After the Philadelphia 76ers’ loss to the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day, the center had some comments that might cause a bit of discord.

He wasn’t too pleased with his amount of touches in the fourth quarter or overtime, and he made that clear to Sixers head coach Brett Brown after the game.

"“I didn’t get the ball,” Embiid said to Philly.com. “The ball didn’t find me in the fourth quarter and overtime, so, in those situations, I’ve got to show up, but I also have to be put in the right situations to be able to help this team. I felt like I wasn’t in the right situation. Don’t know, Got to ask coach.”"

This puts Brown in a difficult position. He now has to decide whether to appease his young and outspoken star center or Jimmy Butler down the stretch of this season.

Ever since the trade for Butler, Philadelphia has made it a priority to put the ball in the forward’s hands, especially in crunch time.

He has succeeded in that role from time to time, but is that the best thing for the franchise in the long haul when we’re talking about a one-year rental player who could go anywhere else he wants in the summer?

Embiid has some valid points. He averaged 20.2 points per game in his first full year in the NBA, 22.9 in the second, and 26.6 this season. Those are MVP quality numbers when you factor in that he’s also notching 13.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 blocks per game in this campaign.

He had 30 points by the end of the third quarter against Boston, but he only got four shots in the last 17 minutes of the game. How do you not feed that player? It’s an extremely low number of looks for someone who ended up only dropping 34 points in total with that much time to play.

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One thing is certain. Embiid will continue to make it known if he isn’t getting his desired number of opportunities.