It’s a complete mess in Philly. Joel Embiid and Co.’s efforts so far this season have been nothing short of underwhelming. To make matters worse, the franchise is dealing with one after another blows on and off the court. Embiid’s injury, Paul George‘s injury, the controversy regarding Marcus Hayes and now the meeting leak. No matter how much Embiid curses the “piece of sh*t” for leaking the locker room talks, the whole situation has put a major question mark over his leadership. Has he learned nothing after spending a whole summer with the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant? No is the only answer for Austin Rivers.

On the latest episode of his Off Guard With Austin Rivers, the host revealed a “worrisome” reality to the Sixers. After Tyrese Maxey called out Embiid for tardiness, the picture is clear that the Cameroonian is failing to live up to the standards expected of a leader. “This is a problem that Philly has pampered and pretty much coddled Joel in his entire tenure that he’s been there. It’s just the reality of the situation,” Rivers said. “In terms of him as a leader of your team, it is a little worrisome, bro.”

The former NBA guard also speculated that Embiid hasn’t approached the season with the best mindset, which is strange considering his summer. “We thought he was gonna take bro, he’s just playing with Steph and LeBron and KD, and you think he would’ve come from that and be like, hey, man, there’s some things I learned that these guys have as leaders, how they move, how they talk, how they approach the game, how early they get there, how they do this,” Rivers added. “And it seems like it just hasn’t translated at all.” According to Rivers it has gone to a point where Embiid is being called out by a 24-year-old Maxey despite him being a decade-old veteran in the league.

After the incident of Tyrese Maxey confronting Joel Embiid was leaked, the center revealed how it wasn’t anything malicious. He even acknowledged his habit of being late at times but claimed it was only when he was injured. The whole controversy is hinting at a potential unrest in the locker room and everything comes back to the leaders there. Rivers also touched upon that, showing how the franchise is possibly in a crisis due to lack of leadership.

Austin Rivers dissects Sixers’ locker room dynamic under Joel Embiid’s leadership

As the podcast rolled on, Rivers recalled how Michael Malone once called him out during his time with the Nuggets. He and Aaron Gordon were let and the HC told them off with Nikola Jokic setting the example of arriving first for team activities. Rivers mentioned how Embiid is not a vocal leader, so he has to show that leadership with his actions.

If Embiid fails to do that then it should be upon Paul George in terms of veteran experience. But it’s only his first year in Philly. “Paul George can’t be the leader. He just got there this year. It’s not his team. He’s also not the best player in the team,” Rivers said. “He’s not even the 2nd best player in the team. He ain’t gonna be the leader besides the fact that if Paul George ain’t never really been a leader either. No disrespect.”

But things can change over the course of the next few games. After their Cup game win over the Nets, 76ers are finally back in winning ways. A few more wins can propel them up in the Eastern Conference and all of a sudden things might look Sunny in Philly after this nightmarish start.