Sixers' Tony Bradley Reacts to Joel Embiid's Jokes & Praise
The Philadelphia 76ers were entering a difficult scenario on Thursday night. As they traveled to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bulls to start the second half of the 2020-2021 NBA season, the Sixers didn't have Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons available as they remained in the NBA's health and safety protocol.
With the two All-Stars out of the mix, the Sixers rolled with Matisse Thybulle and Tony Bradley in the starting lineup. Filling Simmons and Embiid's shoes isn't exactly possible, but Bradley and the veteran center Dwight Howard did a job well done on Thursday as the Sixers defeated the Bulls on the road.
Bradley, who has struggled more often than not in limited minutes this year, played a fantastic game against the Bulls. In a little over 20 minutes on the court, he knocked down all seven of his shots, putting up 14 points.
In addition to his offensive contributions, Bradley also had a stellar defensive performance as he picked up five rebounds and blocked three shots. Joel Embiid, who watched the game from home like everybody else, jumped on Twitter to joke that the Sixers should actually build around the 23-year-old Bradley and not him.
Bradley, who was too busy playing a basketball game, didn't know anything about Embiid's tweet until after the win over Chicago. "I mean, it makes me feel good," Bradley said after laughing at Embiid's commentary. "That's good. I don't know, for him to have the support and for him to say that is funny -- especially coming from Joel. I appreciate it."
Bradley's performance on Thursday night was a good stepping stone for the young veteran to earn the trust of his head coach and his teammates. However, on Friday, he'll likely resume his role as a reserve as Embiid has been cleared from his quarantine and is listed as probable for Friday's game against the Washington Wizards.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
