Joel Embiid receives props from Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton

Tyrese Haliburton heard the noise — and so did Joel Embiid. Both were slapped with the “most overrated” label in that anonymous player poll earlier this season. For Haliburton, it followed a midseason slump. For Embiid, it was the usual — injuries and drawing too many fouls. But while Embiid’s stuck on the sidelines recovering from yet another brutal injury, Haliburton is still out there hooping — and in Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs, he’s making everyone who doubted him look completely foolish.

That anonymous player poll is a bunch of nonsense

Let’s call it what it is: that anonymous player poll is probably just a bunch of the soft, nameless NBA players that couldn’t help but to hate on Joel Embiid & Tyrese Haliburton. I mean any NBA player that actually takes themselves seriously doesn’t have time to participate in some poll that decides who the most overrated player in the league is. Let’s be honest.

According to The Athletic, one of the voices Haliburton actually does listen to is none other than Joel Embiid. Yeah, the same Joel Embiid who gets clowned in the same overrated conversations, despite being a league MVP and perennial All-Star.

Tyrese Haliburton credits Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid has been giving Tyrese Haliburton advice throughout the playoffs

“Haliburton credits Embiid and Tatum for ‘keeping it 100’ conversations that helped him build that immunity to rejection. Embiid, who has been subject to ridicule as he fails to stay healthy, has been… pic.twitter.com/zHmM1DedjW

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 9, 2025

Say whatever you want, that’s exactly the kind of leadership Embiid brings — even off the court. The dude’s been through it all. Slander, injuries, MVP snubs, and now apparently shade from anonymous players. Yet, he still takes time to mentor and support other stars around the league? Maybe the Joel Embiid detractors should all reconsider the narrative’s they are putting out about this guy.

It’s actually wild how much hate both Haliburton and Embiid get from NBA fans. Like, Haliburton — a guy who has amazing court vision, plays the game the right way, and leads one of the most exciting young teams in the league — somehow gets voted most overrated by his peers. And Embiid? The guy is called soft because of injuries that are out of his control, despite literally playing through torn ligaments, busted knees, and dislocated thumbs in the playoffs. And let’s be real — y’all just hate him because he’s better at drawing fouls than your favorite player.

The internet just picks their targets and runs with it. And I’m over it. That’s why I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands and bring the proper basketball coverage that is needed here at TheLibertyLine. Which was originally just a Philadelphia sports blog site, but we now offer it all baby.

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