Ten years after his arrival in the NBA, Joel Embiid has played just 433 games out of a possible 801 in the regular season. How best to explain the career of the Cameroonian-French-American giant?
Possibly the NBA's most unstoppable force, but too many physical limitations. With the 65-game minimum rule for individual trophies, Embiid is severely disadvantaged.
But he still went out and won the MVP award in 2023, and you get the feeling that the NBA title is now his sole objective. That may seem strange for a player who has never set foot in a Conference Final. But at least the player and his franchise are in sync. The 76ers clearly supported their star when he declared that he would not play any more back-to-back games for the rest of his career.
This summer, they lured Paul George with a huge contract to form a Big Three with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. But the physical questions soon arose with an injury to PG13 that will - for the time being - cost him the start of the season, while the 2023 MVP did not set foot on the court in pre-season. A bad omen? Given the investments made, the team clearly has no room for error in terms of results.
He will want to remain the steamroller that puts up 30 points every night. But of course, it's in the playoffs that he's expected to shine, as he disappointed again last season. If there is still no Conference Final, part of Joel Embiid 's aura will be gone. And injuries will no longer fully explain this disappointment.
2023/2024 stats: 34.7 points, 56 assists, 11 rebounds, 52.9% shooting, 38.8% three-point shooting (39 games)
Target for 2024/2025: 35 points / 13 rebounds / Conference Finals minimum
