Joel Embiid, after starting the 2022-23 NBA campaign off quite slowly, has seemingly finally returned to form. In tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz, he dropped a career high 59 points on 19-28 shooting from the field all while dropping in 20-24 shots from the charity stripe.
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He would also grab 11 rebounds, dish out 8 assists, and block a whopping 7 shots during the game. Many online have called this statline a ‘MyCareer’ type statline and it certainly feels like one. To have 59 points while the entirety of the score your team puts up in 48 minutes is 105 is absurd.
With James Harden currently sidelined and on the mend, the Philadelphia 76ers needed a statement game from Joel like the one he had tonight. He’s currently averaging 32.3 points a game on an efficient 53.7% from the field.
Joel Embiid has scored more points in one game than Ben Simmons has all season long
Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid went through Playoff disappointment together year in and year out before the Sixers front office decided to finally split the pair up. Of course, that had more to do with the fact that Simmons refused to play in Philly and sat out the entire 2021-22 NBA season until he was traded to the Nets.
However, despite making a comeback to play this season alongside Kevin Durant and company, he hasn’t looked like a star in the slightest. In fact, he’s only suited up for 5 games this season and has not scored in double digits a single time in those games.
His point total for the seasons comes to 26, which is leaps and bounds behind what Embiid has been putting up this season.
Points:
59 — Joel Embiid tonight
47 — Ben Simmons this season pic.twitter.com/l7r3MbzjBs— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 14, 2022
It is a bit unfair to compare their scoring numbers as Ben isn’t a natural scorer and is more so a distributor. However, it does go to show just how much he needs to work on putting the ball into the basket with confidence.
Neither Sixers or Nets have looked like dominant title contenders
The Brooklyn Nets have had a top defense in the NBA ever since Kyrie Irving got suspended. They have also posted up a 4-2 record since then. However, it doesn’t change the fact that they simply do not look like a legitimate title contender when at full strength.
The Sixers have yet to put together a string of games where their entire roster is healthy and doesn’t have one of their two superstars sitting out. They’re currently boasting a 7-7 record.
