VIDEO: Joel Embiid's Mentality Amid Losing Streak is a Bad Look for the 76ers

For a player like Joel Embiid, pride is valued above just about everything. We saw a firsthand example of this just a few weeks ago when he was called out for a lack of effort by both Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal (and on a nationally televised broadcast, no less) only to respond with a monster performance against the Boston Celtics. But with his team dropping their fourth straight contest Friday night thanks to the Houston Rockets, Embiid appeared dejected as he spoke to the media after the game, his fiery pridefulness extinguished almost entirely.

Heading into the 2019-20 NBA season, many NBA observers had the Philadelphia 76ers as a favorite to win the Eastern Conference. With a starting lineup featuring Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, and Joel Embiid, the Sixers appeared to be building an all-time great defensive unit, with two of the brightest young stars in the NBA as the catalysts for the offense in Embiid and Simmons. Yet here we are in the new year with Philadelphia in sixth place in the East and riding a four-game skid.

With the team struggling to score the ball, it appears as though a change is needed. For a team as talented as Philadelphia to be struggling like this is a clear sign that something is amiss. With their best player appearing almost numb to the reality of the organization's struggles, this season may very well be encroaching upon being unsalvageable.