Philadelphia is a completely different team with Embiid back.
Joel Embiid won his first career MVP award in the 2022-2023 season. After always being told he was second best to Nikola Jokic, Embiid finally took center stage.
This season, Embiid stepped up his game. His dominant one-on-one offense was still there, but his strong presence under the basket and three-point shooting improved from 33% last season to 37.4%. Most impressively, he’s also improved his ability to look out for his teammates, averaging 5.5 assists per game this season, up from 4.2 last season.
Embiid has emerged as an MVP candidate again this season. Compared to last season, he was an even more overwhelming favorite. At the start of the season, Embiid led his Philadelphia 76ers to the top of the Eastern Conference and his individual performance was unrivaled.
But once again, injuries slowed him down. In February, Embiid tore his ACL and went under the knife. His recovery took about two months and he missed about 30 games.
The NBA instituted a new rule this season that players must play a minimum of 65 games to be eligible for awards like MVP and All-NBA team. This rule made Embiid ineligible for MVP and All-NBA Team honors.
While this was devastating for Embiid, who was a favorite to win the back-to-back MVP awards, it was devastating for his team, Philadelphia.
Embiid’s presence in Philadelphia has been unimaginable. Even though Tyreese Maxie has developed into a quality scorer, it’s hard to overshadow Embiid’s presence. In Philadelphia, Embiid was the undisputed ace of the offense and a pillar of the defense.
Philadelphia’s performance plummeted after Embiid’s departure. The team went from being at the top of the Eastern Conference with Embiid at the start of the season to being in a playoff position without him.
After going 27-8 with Embiid, Philadelphia went 14-27 without him.
The numbers are even more impressive. With Embiid, the team averaged 121 points, ranking 2nd overall, 2nd in offense with a 122.7 offensive rating, and 6th in 토토 defense with a 112.6 defensive rating. Without him, the team averaged 108.6 points, ranking 30th overall, 25th overall with a 113.7 offensive rating, and 27th overall with a 118.4 defensive rating.
When Embiid is on the floor, they have the numbers of a top NBA team on offense and defense, and when he’s off the floor, they’re a terrible team on offense and defense. It’s an incredible presence.
With Embiid back in the lineup, it’s only natural that Philadelphia’s play would improve. Embiid made his return on April 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and in his return, he had 24 points, seven assists, and six rebounds to lead the team to victory. It was a game the Thunder would never have won without him.
He followed that up with a 29-point, four-rebound performance in a pivotal game against the Miami Heat on April 5. Miami was in seventh place in the Eastern Conference and Philadelphia was in eighth. In a game that really mattered, the ace returned from injury to lead his team to victory.
With less than five games remaining, Philadelphia sits in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Based on their current standings, they’re a lock to make the play-in tournament. And if they win the play-in tournament, they’ll likely meet either the Boston Celtics or the Milwaukee Bucks. Both teams were considered strong favorites before the season began. Neither team would want to face a Philadelphia team with Embiid back in the first round of the playoffs.
With the MVP back, it will be interesting to see how Philadelphia will fare in the playoffs as their game has changed 180 degrees.