VIDEO: Stephen A. Smith Goes off on Joel Embiid After Scoreless Game Against the Raptors
It's safe to say Joel Embiid didn't have the greatest of games on Monday night. In fact, that's almost too safe to say. Embiid was flat out horrendous against the Raptors on Monday, and basketball fans gave him an earful after his scoreless outing. But perhaps no one was more critical of him than ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who absolutely sounded off on the Sixers' center on First Take.
Smith, in classic fashion, opened up his rant by shouting at the top of his lungs, "What the hell was that?!" He proceeded to rip Embiid for his struggles, and even called him out for crying after the 76ers' loss to the Raptors in the Eastern Conference Semifinals last season.
And as over the top as Smith may be, can we really blame him? Embiid had absolutely nothing going for him on Monday, shooting 0-for-11 from the field, 0-for-3 from the free throw line and recording four turnovers in 32 minutes of action.
Embiid has talked a TON of smack throughout his young NBA career, but has failed to show up on some of the biggest stages. Monday's rematch with the Raptors was a prime example of that.
Smith may have been a bit harsh with his comments on Embiid, but if we're being honest, he simply voiced what everyone was thinking.