"No disrespect to Detroit, but they haven’t won a game" - Joel Embiid on why Philadelphia 76ers have nothing to be happy about after beating Detroit Pistons

Joel Embiid has said that there is nothing to be happy about for the Philadelphia 76ers despite the team's victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday. The big man posted 30 points and 18 rebounds to lead the team to a 110-102 victory over the depleted Pistons team.

Philadelphia 76ers were the number one seed in the Eastern Conference last season. They were dominant and played like championship contenders throughout the year. However, this season, the team has not shown their full potential until now. A win against the Pistons could be a great boost for the team, but Joel Embiid does not think that victory is something the team can be too happy about.

Speaking about the same in his postgame press conference, he said:

"We need to get way better. No disrespect to Detroit, but they haven’t won a game. So we can’t be happy about our performance tonight. There’s nothing to be happy about. But you know as a team, we just played New York, there was a different energy level, they were tougher than us, more physical than us. They got what they wanted, we couldn't guard our own man, we need to be way better defensively than we have been. Right now we haven't been able to do so."

Philadelphia next plays the Atlanta Hawks at home on Saturday. They will be hoping to seek revenge and grab a win to get their campaign on track to compete for a place in the playoffs.

Joel Embiid registers 30 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a win over the Detroit Pistons

Brooklyn Nets v Philadelphia 76ers

Reports have suggested that Joel Embiid has been playing through a knee injury since the start of the season. However, that has not stopped him from leading the way for his team this year. The Big man has averaged 21.4 PPG, 9.4 RPG and 4.2 APG on 43.8% shooting from the field. Speaking about playing through a knee injury, Joel Embiid said:

"Like I always said, there's no excuses, but I'm fine. I mean I can't complain, you know I'm doing what I love and you know every single day I wake up that's what I want to do. So, that's what I'm going to keep focussing on and whatever happens happens, but you know, I'm fine."

Even during the 2021 NBA Playoffs, Joel Embiid played through an injury and posted big numbers to lead the team into the second round of the playoffs. However, his efforts fell short, as the Atlanta Hawks beat the 76ers 4-3 to advance into the Conference Finals.

The 76ers have been in the headlines all through the offseason because of the Ben Simmons controversy. There is no expected timeline for his return and the responsibility to keep the team competitive in his absence will be on Joel Embiid.

The 27-year-old has been phenomenal over the past couple of years and he will have to continue delivering big performances for the team this year. Philly also has players like Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle and Tyrese Maxey, all of whom are great players in their own right and can be a great support to Embiid this season.

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