The honeymoon is over for Philadelphia 76ers rookie Joel Embiid.
Despite having a foot injury that limited him to simply walking for exercise, Keith Pompey is reporting that 76ers brass are not feeling Embiid right now, and are concerned about his work ethic and weight gain.
Embiid has a weight issue. Although the Sixers wouldn’t disclose his weight, a source said he’s close to 300 pounds after being 250 pounds at Kansas last season.
His work ethic is being questioned by some inside the organization.
And a blowup with assistant strength and conditioning coach James Davis is one of the reasons he was sent home during the team’s recent West Coast road trip.
Embiid was the life of the party and social media shortly after being drafted. Now embiid is reportedly moody and recently got into an altercation with the teams strength coach because Embiid refuses to work.
Because of the foot injury, his conditioning has been limited. Embiid can only do things such as use the antigravity treadmill and take long walks to generate a rapid heart rate. In the process, he has become noticeably heavier than the chiseled 250 pounds he carried in college.
The Sixers are trying to address the added weight. Embiid, however, hasn’t always been a willing workout participant, according to sources. He’s even blown off conditioning drills, one source added.
An altercation with Davis during the West Coast trip, coupled with Brown’s wanting him to be in “more of a structured, stable environment,” pushed the Sixers to send him home, the sources said.
