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Joel Embiid is the talk of the NBA after putting up 70 last night against San Antonio in his first head-to-head against Victor Wembanyama.
Famous last words, Gregg Popovich!
It’s pretty clear this was all said in jest, but nonetheless, Embiid got the memo, becoming the ninth player in league history to cross the 70-point threshold in a game. By following his 40-point game and victory over Denver with this performance, you could argue that Embiid’s star has never been higher than it is right now.
You can say all you want about how good Embiid has been individually, but it’s clearly time for Joel and the rest of the 76ers to take the next step and get it done in the playoffs when it really matters. You can hang 70 on the Spurs in January all you want, but it won’t matter if you lay an egg in the playoffs.
Now I know that Embiid has had some rotten injury luck in the playoffs, but him and his team have also failed to perform in key moments.
I mean, this was arguably the closest Embiid has gotten to the conference finals:
Let’s look at Embiid’s playoff history:
- 2018: Lost in five games to Boston in the second round. Embiid dealt with a facial fracture and concussion during the series.
- 2019: Lost in seven to Toronto in the second round on that famous Kawhi Leonard buzzer beater. Embiid left the court in tears after battling knee tendinitis for most of the series.
- 2020: Swept by Boston in the first round in the bubble. Embiid played well, to be fair, but the Sixers as a whole were awful.
- 2021: Lost in seven to Atlanta in the second round. Embiid played through a small tear in his meniscus suffered in the first round.
- 2022: Lost in six to Miami in the second round. Embiid played through a torn ligament in his thumb suffered in the first round, as well as another facial fracture.
- 2023: Lost in seven to Boston in the second round. Played through a lingering knee sprain.
Even with all the injuries, it’s pretty jarring that Embiid hasn’t been past the second round in his entire career. I’m ready to see him stay healthy and make a deep playoff run.
The team around him looks good enough to take him there, too.
Philly is currently 29-13 and third in the east. The James Harden trade has worked wonders for Tyrese Maxey, who is proving to be one of the best scoring guards in the league, averaging 26/7/4 this season. Imagine how much better his numbers would look if he could bump up his 45% shooting percentage and 38% three-point percentage.
The same goes for Tobias Harris, who has been a capable third option, routinely scoring in the high double figures. His efficiency could use a boost as well, but his production has still been solid.
Beyond the scoring, the 76ers turn the ball over less than any other team and rank in the top five in most relevant defensive categories.
What I’ve been MOST impressed with is that, unlike many teams in the league, Philadelphia doesn’t settle for tough shots. They’ve taken the fourth-fewest threes in the league as a percentage of their total attempts, and they earn more free throws per attempt than any other team.
Embiid and Maxey have been so good about attacking and earning free points at the line. Their middling efficiency gets canceled out by the free throws, making their offense extremely effective.
Ultimately, there’s still a trade for Philadelphia to make, and it remains to be seen who it will add at the deadline. Nonetheless, if they can get a healthy Embiid and an effective Maxey in the playoffs, the Sixers will be an extremely tough out.
That’s a HUGE if. Embiid’s been hurt in all but one playoff run in his career. He’s often struggled to stay at or near 100% when it matters. He’s gotta be able to go at full strength if the Sixers really want to be a threat to make or even win the finals.
We’ll see if Joel can actually make it happen, but I for one am ready for it to happen, and it NEEDS to happen if we are to take him seriously as a top-tier player in the league.
Follow Nick Hedges on X (@nicktrimshedges) or Twitter (@nicktrimshedges)