Joel Embiid On Philly’s Losing Streak: ‘It’s Taking A Toll On Me’

The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t quite lived up to the preseason hype that surrounded them, something that has especially been the case over the last few games. Philly has lost four in a row, including a 118-108 loss to the Rockets in Houston on Friday night, and currently sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The team’s 23-14 record puts them 8.5 games behind the 1-seed.

The team’s low points can be hard to watch, and for Joel Embiid, all of this losing is becoming overwhelming. Embiid met with the media following the loss and sounded despondent as he discussed where the team’s at right now.

“Losing four in a row sucks, and it doesn’t feel like we’re getting better,” Embiid said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “So it is frustrating. … I care about winning. It’s taking a toll on me. All I care about is winning. It sucks. We’ve got to find a way. I guess we’ve got to keep fighting.”

Embiid had a solid night, scoring 20 points and pulling down 12 rebounds, although he was outplayed by Houston big man Clint Capela, who went for 30 and 14. Still, he provided us with the latest bit of postgame griping by members of the Sixers’ roster — following a loss to the Indiana Pacers on New Year’s Eve, a few players griped about a lack of accountability in the locker room.

Something seems to be amiss in Philly, although it’s unclear exactly what that thing is (I was a fan of this recent piece by our pal Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice). Head coach Brett Brown did tell reporters following the Rockets game that he likes “the spirit of our group,” but unless that good spirit translates to wins, it feels like the Sixers are going to need to do something in the coming weeks if their championship aspirations are going to come to fruition. If that wasn’t evident before, then perhaps Embiid publicly voicing discontent like this will set off some alarm bells in the City of Brotherly Love.

Written by: Uproxx