Getty Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid could miss a game. Over the course of his career, Embiid hasn’t exactly been the poster boy of great health, having missed his entire first two seasons in the NBA with a foot fracture.
Since then, though, Embiid has worked hard to stay on the floor. He appeared in 68 games last season, the most of his career. But it’s not always that Embiid misses time; equally as important is when Embiid misses time. For instance, the Sixers were cruising through the playoffs last season when an errant Pascal Siakam-slap to Embiid’s face forced the big man to miss the next two games with a facial fracture. By the time he came back against Miami, the series was effectively over, with the far-inferior Heat team having picked apart Philadelphia’s weaknesses.
And at shootaround on Monday morning, the Sixers were given a grim update on their big man’s availability tonight against the Wizards. According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Embiid missed the shootaround altogether and is listed as questionable for tonight’s game.
Seven games into the season hardly counts as crunchtime, but it just might for this Sixers team.
76ers Need Embiid to Regain MVP Form
Why are the stakes so high this early in the season? Only because Philadelphia started out an abominable 1-4, with losses to the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and lowly San Antonio Spurs. Embiid is as much to blame for the slow start as anyone, with the big man scoring a garbage-time-bloated 26 points on opening night and 15 in Philadelphia’s home opener.
He’s looked sluggish, disinterested, disengaged, and generally like a shell of his former self so far this season. Rather than leading the charge to get back on defense, he’s often seen jogging back down the floor, with opposing teams sprinting by in transition.
We knew Embiid isn’t the same fluid athlete as Giannis Antetokounmpo. But one of his calling cards is always giving a rip, no matter the play, scenario, or stakes. So to see him slumping his way through the start of the season is disappointing simply because that’s not the athlete Philadelphia has come to know and love.
While he’s not been providing the most on the floor, Embiid is still finding a way to get involved by keeping his teammates motivated.
Embiid Settling Into Role as Motivator in Chief
Because of his stature around the league, Embiid’s teammates naturally look up to the big man for guidance and approval. And while he’s not playing at a high level on the court, he’s at least dishing out encouragement to his teammates in spades.
Embiid told Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer that “There’s a reason I’m always on [Tyrese Maxey] to just let it fly. He’s got to get up 10 to 15 threes a game. That’s how good of a shooter he is.”
Matisse Thybulle also opened up about the bond he shares with the former Kansas Jayhawk.
“Joel’s been one of my biggest supporters since I’ve been on the Sixers and always been one of the loudest in celebrating my successes,” Thybulle said after Saturday’s win over Chicago. “It absolutely means a lot that the spearhead of the team, the guy who everything’s running through, supports you, and I think it helps to just to keep earning [Embiid’s] trust. Like, he wants to trust me and like me and celebrate me, but to do the work and have the results that can actually materialize it. It feels good and it sure makes me excited.”
If Embiid can marry his positivity off-court with a more consistent level of play, the Sixers should be cooking in no time.