Joel Embiid is having one of the best individual seasons in NBA history. No one can stop the league’s most feared center – until his own body lets him down. Now the title contenders from Philadelphia have to do without their most valuable player for a long time.
The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia was upside down. Joel Embiid stood on the sidelines, soaked from head to toe after his teammates’ celebratory water shower. The Philadelphia 76ers superstar had just delivered a one-man show for the ages against San Antonio: 70 points and 18 rebounds, on 24 of 41 shooting attempts from the field and 21 of 23 hits from the free throw line.
Only Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, David Thompson, Luka Dončić, David Robinson, Elgin Baylor, Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker and Damian Lillard have scored at least 70 points in an NBA game. Chamberlain still holds the all-time record: on March 2, 1962, the legendary center scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors (now Golden State Warriors) against the New York Knicks. He is also the only player to have scored 70+ points multiple times (six times in total).
However, Embiid broke Chamberlain’s franchise record (68 points), which had stood since 1967, became the only NBA player in over 60 years to record 70 points and 15 rebounds, and achieved the feat in just 37 minutes of action. “It’s great to operate in these spheres, but it doesn’t mean so much if you don’t win the title,” said the center after the best game of his career. “The discourse changes, only then do people see something different in you. That’s what I work for.”
Shock for Philly and Embiid
Barely a week after the brilliant performance, there was bad news for Embiid. Official diagnosis: meniscus damage. Last Tuesday, Embiid went under the knife, the team announced in a statement: “Joel Embiid had a successful procedure today to repair an injury to the lateral meniscus in his left knee. We will re-evaluate him in approximately four weeks.” Exactly how long the 29-year-old superstar will be out is still unclear. It will only be clear in a month whether and when the center can return.
Embiid had sat out a game here and there every now and then this season, but for the most part he had remained relatively healthy (by his standards). A knee swelling and increasing pain immediately after his 70-point gala worsened when Embiid returned to the floor at the end of January – whether on the advice of the team doctors or his own advisory staff – probably too early, one has to judge today.
The pressure of having to play the minimum number of games in order to be considered for individual awards certainly played into the collective decisions at the 76ers. Since this season, professionals must have played at least 65 of the 82 regular games in order to be eligible for MVP & Co. After missing two games against Denver and Portland, the Cameroonian was back on the floor against Golden State on January 30th – and was seriously injured when Jonathan Kuminga fell on his knee shortly before the end.
Lighting figure: Joel Embiid.
(Photo: AP)
Without Embiid, a lot will change in Philly. Actually everything. Not just playfully, on the floor, in attack and defense. But also in terms of personnel. No one can come close to replacing his productivity, his sheer presence. His backups at the center position, Paul Reed and Mo Bamba, are among the worse in the league. Embiid is also irreplaceable behind the basket thanks to his size, mobility and fearsome presence. “Where are we going to get all the offense from now?” Sixers coach Nick Nurse argued with fate a few days ago. “And at the back we’re missing his rim protection, he always had our backs. We now have to change everything at both ends without him. It’s going to be tough.”
A season for the history books
In fact, there would probably have been no way around Embiid as MVP and top scorer in the league this season. Even in this modern NBA, where records tumble every week, an even improved Embiid stood out with unprecedented heroics. He may not have averaged 50 points like “Wilt the Stilt” once did, but Embiid’s 35.3 points per night in just 34 minutes of action tied Chamberlain’s all-time record: only the two Titans have ever averaged more than a point per minute brought (1.04).
Per 100 attacks, Embiid’s 50.4 points shattered James Harden’s previous record. To put it in perspective, Chamberlain’s best was 38 points, Michael Jordan’s was 46.4, Kobe Bryant’s was 45.6, and Harden’s previous record was 48.2. Embiid scored 30 points or more in an incredible 22 games in a row. Only Chamberlain and James Harden have previously achieved this. If you leave out the injury-plagued last game against Golden State, Embiid scored at least 30 points in 24 of his last 25 games and was only on the floor for more than 40 minutes once. This is efficiency that is hard to understand.
He creates a lot of the offense for Philly. Not just for yourself, but now also for the entire team. His improvement as an initiator and playmaker, especially as a passer, is obvious. His 39 percent usage rate is the third highest behind Russell Westbrook and James Harden. He anchors the defense at the back and gives Philadelphia’s sometimes aggressive and risky ball defense the necessary support. In their 1,157 minutes on the floor, Philly had the best offense, second-best defense, and an absurd net rating of +10.1 points per 100 possessions. 26 wins from 34 games with him were synonymous with the best track record in the NBA.
End of all title hopes?
Without Embiid, things look bleak for Philadelphia. His new injury has raised many questions. A brilliant season, both individually and collectively, is once again in danger of falling apart. All personal honors – and we now know for sure that Embiid won’t be able to win MVP, scoring titles or All-NBA honors this year – let’s leave it aside: The 29-year-old had long since set his focus on the playoffs, knowing full well that it was only In the end, it really counts there, only there are true legends immortalized. So far, Embiid has never been able to prove his championship suitability: Even after eight years, the big man has never made it to the conference finals. Only three MVPs in NBA history have never reached the Finals: Steve Nash, Derrick Rose, and Embiid.
Of course, injuries also play a major role here. The 76ers star repeatedly struggled with knee problems. He missed his entire first two NBA seasons and only played 31 games in his third year. In February 2017, the meniscus in his left knee tore. In 2019 he missed the end of the season with knee problems. In 2021 he missed more than 20 games with a bruised knee. In the 2021 playoffs, the meniscus in his right knee tore. That’s a lot of wear and tear for a 130-pound behemoth. All of Philly is hoping that the latest procedure goes perfectly and Embiid is pain-free again in March. In the worst case, however – if the damaged meniscus does not heal ideally or the complications persist – there is even a risk of a follow-up operation and then a four to six month break for the reigning MVP and top scorer.
The 76ers will have to somehow stay afloat in the coming weeks. Without its fixed star, the title contender is in danger of sinking: a 4-12 record this season, losing seven of the last eight games, and only two wins away from the play-in places in the East. President Daryl Morey was aggressive during this week’s trading deadline, making some changes to the squad, including signing elite shooter Buddy Hield. To do this, he freed up space to accommodate veterans who would soon be available on the “buyout market.”
The plan is for young star Tyrese Maxey to stabilize the team to some extent even without Embiid, and then for them to start heading towards the playoffs in the final phase of the season – with a fit, pain-free and similarly dominant Joel Hans Embiid. In the city of brotherly love, they still believe in the best-case scenario. It would be the first time in a long time that this would actually happen for Embiid and the Sixers…