A resurgence story the NBA community cannot wait for is Joel Embiid. The former MVP, with his annoying injury issues, has had a depleted presence on the court over the last few years, but has worked hard over the summer break to lose weight, get himself back in shape, and get back to his best. But will he? Not according to Tim Legler.
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When he’s still balling, Embiid is one of the most dominant players in the NBA, without a doubt. But the problem is that he’s barely been playing. And the Philadelphia 76ers continue to place all their eggs in his basket, which is why their recent seasons have been beyond dismal.
They have Paul George and Tyrese Maxey to rely on as well, but without Embiid, they just aren’t the same.
Embiid listened to experts and worked on reducing his weight heading into the 25/26 season. But that’s not enough to convince Legler that he will be 100% fit and play more than 65 games. So… all that effort goes in vain?
Well, there will, almost certainly, be a difference in the Embiid we see this season. But Legler feels that the 2024 Olympic Gold medalist spends “too much time on the ground.” And for a seven-footer who weighs around 450 lbs., that’s a lot of unnecessary contact.
“He falls too much,” Legler said on the All-NBA podcast. “There’s too many things that go wrong when you’re on the ground as much as he is for a variety of reasons. The guy plays hard defensively, and that’s part of it. He’s always going to attack everything at the rim. He gets himself off balance, but he falls a lot offensively, too. He falls five, six, seven times a game.
Legit looks good (in photos at least) https://t.co/m3qmspPLcb
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnor) September 16, 2025
Embiid may have been careful in his latest role to recover, but Legler believes that there’s always a high possibility of someone just falling on him. He could, in a matter of seconds, have all his hard work undone and book another trip to the emergency room, followed by months of further rehab.
“The guy’s even had so many facial fractures because the guy’s head has constantly taken a beating because he’s so physical in the paint,” Legler continued. “I don’t think Joel Embiid gives you 65-70 [games a season].”
The famed analyst then took a shot at Embiid’s fitness in general, insisting that there’s no way he’d ever cross the 65 mark even if he were fully OK. “At healthy, he’s like at 60. Unhealthy, he’s like, at 23.”
Philadelphia has one of the most demanding fan bases in the NBA, and it’s sad that they are suffering because of constant niggles suffered, not just by Embiid, but his supposed deputy, George, as well. 2025/26 may just be the make-or-break year for this current roster. If they don’t, fans might just give up and start calling for their heads.
