Joel Embiid: The crystal leader who does not achieve success in the 76ers
The 76ers live another season for oblivion, while the health of its star Joel Embiid is the main theme.
Some Philadelphia 76ers outside the play-in area in the Eastern NBA Conference The Margarita defaults on what to do with Joel Embiidits maximum figure, who has admitted that it limits knee problems, so it could operate to advance the times and be ready for the next season.
However, for the franchise it would be to wait again for a better future that ever comes with its star, who at the individual level has had great success, but that has not marked the difference for an institution that currently does not belong to the elite.
It is the situation they are going through again Sixersthat they have never had the post for a complete calendar and that, despite mixing it with different types of high -level players, have not found the formula that gets some trip to the finals, but constant visits to the nursing.
In statistical terms, Embiid lost one in three games in his squad since he debuted in 2016-17 (242 of 694) and in postseason matches he has a global brand of 34 wins and 33 losses, but is 0-5 in conference semifinal series, while Nikola Jokic He already gave a title to Denver and Giannis Antetokounmpo another to Milwaukee.
At 30, the one born in Cameroon signed a contract extension in September for three years and $ 193 million, with an option of the player for 2028-29, so his story is linked to Pennsylvania, which he must wait for the opportunity to finally achieve success, before starting a reconstruction.
This is one of the organizations with more tradition in the League, with three championships, although the last one was in 1983, which has retired the numbers of legends such as Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley or Allen Iiversonalthough it was precisely The Answer The last to take it to the finals more recently, in 2001.
The team seemed to play background in 2013-14, when it had a record of 19-63, but that served to enter the draft lottery and take with the third global shift to Embiid, from the University of Kansas, after his schoolmate, Andrew Wiggins was the first to listen to his name.
However, Joel suffered a fracture in the right foot that prevented him from appearing in 2014-15 and then in 2015-16, in which the Sixers barely won a total of 28 games, which earned them to have the first selection of the 2016 Draft, with which they chose the Australian Ben Simmonswhich also had to wait to appear in the association.
A process that does not end
However, in the 2016-17 season, Embiid’s expected debut arrived and with him began what in Philadelphia is known as ‘The process’, a reconstruction based on all the young talent that he had recruited in the last campaigns, with the two born outside the United States as referents for the future and that the center assumed to such a degree that it retains that nickname in its Instagram account.
In that first calendar, Joel barely played 31 of the 82 games and his team had a 13-18 mark in those matches (28-54 in total), but it was third in the vote to the rookie of the year, only behind Malcolm Brogdon And of his then partner Dario Saricwith averages of 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.
In 2017-18, Philadelphia had a proven of what his young stars could do together, Simmons was a rookie of the year, while Embiid, who played 63 of 82 clashes was chosen to the All-Star and the team returned to playoffs for the first time since 2012, surpassed the Heat in the first round, but fell before Celtics in the second.
‘The process’ seemed to advance, although for 2018-19 they stayed again in the same instance, despite adding Jimmy Butler, with Joel in 64 of 82 clashes and again selected the middle-season classic; In 19-20 the team seemed to step back, coinciding with that Embiid lost 22 quotes and did not exceed the first decisive phase.
The 2020-21 could go down in history as the last of the project that tried to build Philadelphia, because already with Doc Rivers as Coach conquered the division of the Atlantic after two decades and Embiid, who played 51 games of the 72 was second in the vote of the most valuable behind Jokic.
However, in the playoffs after overcoming Washington Wizards, they fell into a decisive duel against Atlanta and both Joel and Rivers pointed to Simmons, which triggered that the Australian asked to leave the squad, which caused a complicated start in 2021-22, until Ben left Brooklyn Nets.
The change brought a new complement to Embiid, James Hardenbut the situation seemed not to affect him because he averaged 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in the 68 games he played (the greatest amount so far in his career), again it was second in the fight for the MVP, although Philadelphia again stayed in the conference semifinals, falling before Miami (and Butler).
The following year, Embiid found his way to the top of the League, when he was appointed the most valuable player, in a campaign in which he acted in 66 of 82 opportunities, for a collective record of 54-28 (43-23 with him) and in which he recorded 33.1 units every night, 10.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, to finally beat Jokic in the vote.
In the postseason they swept Nets, with great performances by Harden, but also of Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris, but in the semifinals of conference they met Boston Celtics, which put them the stop, to confirm that this is the roof for this group of Sixers players.
The fall caused a revolution within the office, Rivers was fired and replaced by Nick Nurse, which led Toronto to the NBA title in 2019, while Harden was changed to the clippers by Nicolas Batum and Robert Covington, among others, to fully experiment with the Maxe-Embiid duo.
But Embiid suffered a new knee injury and only played 39 games in 2023-24, for a Philadelphia that was eliminated in the first round by the Knicks, to add another disappointment to a process that was not completed either with Simmons or with Harden or without them, before the constant absences of his referent.
In another attempt to find the correct combination, the Sixers signed in the summer before Paul Georgeto form a trident with Embiid and Maxey, in addition to having the Movedor veteran Kyle Lowrybut nothing has been consistent with the plan of the leadership, especially because of the inconveniences of its MVP. Joel has only played in 19 of 57 games for discomfort in the left knee and averages almost 11 points less compared to the previous year (23.8), three recotes less (8.2) and three minutes less (30.2), for a philadelphia with a mark of 20-37, 12th in the east, outside the Play-In area.
“I am not as dominant as it was a few months ago, but that does not mean that I cannot have an impact, just being on the stub, I think I help a lot, my presence, my ability to attract double brands, open the shots for my classmates, but it is difficult because I know I can do more,” said the gold medalist in Paris 2024 with the United States.
It is the example of what has been his career in the NBA, with an incomparable talent, but a tendency to be missing that causes that he cannot contribute constantly and, above all, is not a factor in the decisive instances, which leaves him with some individual titles, but no collective.
Philadelphia could choose to end soon with Joel’s season to address his physical problems and return to his best version the next campaign, although he knows that he will not have him for the 82 games and that that affects ‘the process’, which never seems to be completed.
