A Proud Brett Brown Praises Joel Embiid for His Class

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid hasn't had the most exceptional start to his 2019 NBA campaign. That's not to say the All-Star isn't playing well -- but he surely isn't playing at his typical high-level, which we've witnessed in the past.

Was Embiid just not as much in shape as he said he was during the offseason? Or perhaps he's battling through some wear and tear as he's been often injured in the past. Those are just a handful of speculations that have been thrown out there recently.

Fortunately, Embiid was finished with hearing about all of the rumors and opinionated scenarios. Therefore, He took the time this week to finally clear the air about what's really going on as the criticism surrounding his lack of dominance went to another level recently.

After helping defeat the Denver Nuggets this past Tuesday night, Embiid was highly criticized by two former NBA bigs, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley. It wouldn't be the first time they had something to say about Embiid -- but it seems as though it would be the most significant.

Embiid blamed his lack of dominance on the idea that he's simply not having fun playing basketball. And why he's not having fun is because he was told he needed to mature both, on and off the court. After realizing his 'fun filter' was preventing him from playing like his old self, Embiid decided to make a few tweaks to his game.

Sure enough, the seven-footer dropped 38 points in 36 minutes during a statement win against the Boston Celtics the following game. It was that moment Embiid had a choice. He could either shove his stat line in the face of his critics like many players would. Or he could prove just how much he truly matured by taking the high road.

Like a true pro, Embiid took the humble route and made his coaches and mentors proud. This week's series of events wasn't a test to Embiid's maturity handed down by the Sixers' organization. But at least the program now knows just how much their superstar has grown over the last couple of years as a professional athlete.

"I recently saw his interview [with Shaq and Charles Barkley]," said Sixers' head coach Brett Brown on Friday night. "I just think he knocked it out of the park."

Brown was referring to the short, but productive live discussion following the game when Embiid threw on a headset to receive encouraging words from the two former greats in TNT's studio.

Not only did Embiid listen to what they had to say, but he also responded with genuine kindness as well, which led to his head coach having a proud moment raving about him the following evening.

"He did it with grace -- he did it with humility," Brown said. "He owned stuff and wasn't defensive about it. I thought the whole thing was a tremendous example of Joel's grace and maturity. You wanna handle something with elegance, grace, and class? Watch Joel Embiid deal with this thing on a national scene. I just think he knocked it out of the park -- on the court and off the court."