Joel Embiid won the NBA MVP just two seasons ago, yet the days of the big man’s dominance feel like a distant memory as the Philadelphia 76ers continue to attempt to turn around a disastrous start. The Sixers sit at the 11th spot in the East with a record of 11-17. Former NBA player and coach, Sam Mitchell, knows the difference between Philadelphia being a postseason team or a lottery team comes down to the availability of superstar Joel Embiid.
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The 61-year-old explained on Sirius XM NBA Radio how the Sixers have the potential to be the postseason’s most dangerous team if they manage to preserve Embiid’s health. The 13-year veteran shared some advice for Philadelphia’s head coach, saying “If you’re Nick Nurse… he can’t sleep at night. You don’t know if Joel Embiid roll out of bed and fall.”
“He is a physical specimen when he plays.”@SamMitchellNBA tells @GeraldBlss the availability of Joel Embiid will play a huge role during the 76ers’ playoff push. pic.twitter.com/ljFxh26dZ8
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) December 26, 2024
It’s undoubtedly been a stressful second campaign in Philadelphia for Nurse, who hasn’t been able to coach a healthy roster since he arrived from Toronto. His superstar big man has played just nine of the team’s 28 contests this season, showing only a glimmer of the electrifying production he was offering not too long ago.
Even though he joked about Embiid’s health, Mitchell also gave the big man his flowers. “We all know, the success of Philadelphia rides with one dude, Joel Embiid. He is a physical specimen when he plays. You can’t deal with it,” the former Timberwolf added.
Mitchell reminded that he has always said that Joel Embiid is the best player in the league if healthy. So the 76ers need to keep him healthy to be scary in the postseason.
While far from his MVP-level capabilities, Embiid posted an efficient 27 points and nine rebounds while knocking down four three-pointers in his team’s surprising victory over Boston. However, this ranks among the Cameroonian’s best performances in what has been an underwhelming campaign through the first third of the season. Averaging just 21.3 points over his nine games, Embiid will need to return to form if Philadelphia even expects to sniff the Play-In Tournament.
But for that he has to stay healthy and avoid certain things during his time on the court.
Some of Embiid’s injuries appear to be self-inflicted
Embiid has become known as a notorious flopper in the league, falling down often even when it doesn’t seem necessary. However, the eighth-year center once explained that he actually collapses on purpose in order to spread the impact throughout his body, therefore minimizing significant injury to any one joint.
This strategy may prove fruitful on certain occasions, but constantly flailing to the ground on purpose has undoubtedly helped add to these seemingly never-ending ailments. The former MVP fell into the courtside seats following a turnaround three-point attempt during pregame warmups on Wednesday, concerning many that he would not suit up for the holiday matchup.
Embiid did play, and play well, but this will have to become the norm if the 76ers expect to win with their current core.
