Hall of Famer shows no mercy to Joel Embiid after 76ers star looked out of shape

The Philadelphia 76ers have been nothing but disappointing this season, despite making major moves in the offseason. Joel Embiid's rocky fitness has been a key reason behind the team's struggles.

Sure, the 76ers had somewhat stabilized this season as they entered with a 6-2 record in their last eight games before facing the Golden State Warriors, but they had no answer for the Dubs.

Many had high hopes for Joel Embiid to dominate the Warriors due to their lack of size, but the 2023 NBA MVP never looked comfortable during the game.

At one point, the 30-year-old looked completely gassed as he had his hands on his knees to catch a breath. Instead of sympathizing with the 76ers star, NBA legend Reggie Miller gave a brutal reality check to him.

"He needs to be sprinting," Miller said. "Now, again, he's not in shape, but whose fault is that? That's the player's fault!"

Reggie Miller on Joel Embiid: pic.twitter.com/XkggIWj0FZ
— Dick Bayless Official (@RealDickBayless) January 3, 2025

Miller may have been outright with his comments, but he is not wrong by any means. So far, Embiid has played just 12 games this season and he is already looking out of shape.

Because of Embiid's recurring injuries, it feels like he never had the time to get into in-game shape. Combine that with Joel's previous announcement about not wanting to play back-to-back games ever again, fans are way past feeling sad for the 7x NBA All-Star.

Although Embiid had 28 points against the Warriors, those were empty stats as the 76ers were still handed a 34-point blowout loss.