One of Joel Embiid’s teammates is coming to his defense the day after he was left off the All-Star reserves.
Philadelphia 76ers point guard T.J. McConnell called it a “travesty” that Embiid, who is averaging 19.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 25.3 minutes per game, did not make the All-Star team.
“I think it’s a travesty, to be honest,” T.J. McConnell said Friday, via CSN Philly’s Jessica Camerato. “The amount of minutes that he plays and the damage that he does, I think it’s absolute crap that he wasn’t voted into the All-Star Game.
“If people don’t already know it, he’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever played with,” McConnell said. “He’s positive every day. Even on games when he’s frustrated because he’s not able to play because it’s a back to back, he’s there cheering on his team and being encouraging in the locker room. People don’t see that behind closed doors. Like I said before, I think it’s absolutely absurd the amount of minutes that he plays and the damage that he does, there’s not another player that’s even close to that. I think the proof is right there.”
The frontcourt reserve spots for the Eastern Conference went to Kevin Love, Paul George and Paul Millsap. Embiid said he thought he deserved it, but he’s not disappointed.
“I thought I deserved it,” Embiid said. “Not that I care about my stats but that was one of the points that could have been proven. I think the thing was the minutes, which I didn’t understand. If you average that many points in 24, 25 minutes, I don’t know, that should be a case. … I’m not disappointed. I’m happy for those guys.”
Embiid has a point. He’s averaging the most points per 36 minutes in NBA history.
Move over MJ. @JoelEmbiid is coming for your per/36 scoring throne #ProcessingPer36 pic.twitter.com/SOJgry3OhX
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 27, 2017
Better luck next year.
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