“I Was Mad at Myself”: Joel Embiid Confesses Berating Himself for the Errors Made During the 70-Point Performance

Joel Embiid has been phenomenal this season, averaging 35.3 points per game and putting up a 70-piece performance very recently in a victory against the San Antonio Spurs. While other players would be cherishing that moment of their career, Joel Embiid was not content with himself for missing a lot of shots during his 70-point showing.

In a recent appearance on the Men in Blazers podcast, Embiid revealed how he could have made smarter and better decisions that helped him score even higher numbers in that game. Embiid seemed disappointed and angry at himself for missing some easy shots and even felt he could have played more minutes. Speaking to the host of the ‘Men in Blazers’ podcast, the Philadelphia 76ers big man said,

“You know what? I’ll be honest because after the game, I was actually mad at myself because I thought I could have been better. Like, I thought I left so many points on the board, left so many easy ones. To be honest, I think I wasn’t pushing enough. Because, I think if I was really trying to push forward, I could have played more minutes.” 

One of the biggest motivations for Embiid to turn into a scoring machine that night was facing the Spurs and his new rival in the league, Victor Wembanyama. Facing Wemby was one of the biggest challenges for Embiid, which he overcame by showcasing a monster-like performance through his career-high scoring record that night.

It’s quite impressive to see how Embiid continues to strive and achieve way more than ordinary, which reminds many of Kobe Bryant’s mentality towards the game. After Kobe’s 81-point game, he kept striving for more. Many also saw this same spirit in Joel Embiid, who dedicated his 70-point game in honor of the Black Mamba.

Victor Wembanyama was inspired by Joel Embiid’s 70-point game

Joel Embiid set a franchise record with his 70-point game against the San Antonio Spurs while setting a career-high number for himself. However, no one can deny how the Cameroonian star proved to have put in one of the best-scoring performances in the league’s history. Alongside his 70 points, Embiid gathered 18 rebounds, five assists, and one steal while shooting 24-of-41 from the floor and 1 of 2 behind the three-point line.

The game was particularly inspiring for Victor Wembanyama, who was considered a rival against the Philadelphia big man. Sharing his thoughts on Embiid’s performance, Wemby said, “It would have been more fun in a win, of course, but it’s inspiring, especially offensively.” 

Though Spurs could not record a victory that night, Wemby was also pretty impressive on the floor. The rookie scored 33 points, seven boards, two assists, and two blocks while shooting 10/19 from the floor and 2/5 behind the three-point line. Highly praising the young French prodigy, Embiid said,  “He’s got everything, size, skill, got everything. Bright future. He’s already pretty good. Once he develops, he’s going to be a lot of problems for a lot of guys in this league.”

It’s clear that Embiid already has a lot of respect for Wembanyama’s talent, much like many other stars in the NBA. That said, the young Frenchaman still seems to have a long way to go at the moment.

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• Joel Embiid
• Victor Wembanyama