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Is the rookie wall slowing down Joel Embiid?

By Christopher Kline

MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 04: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers waits to go into a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center on March 4, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 04: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers waits to go into a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center on March 4, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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With Joel Embiid struggling, is the Philadelphia 76ers‘ All-Star hitting the rookie wall a year late?

Joel Embiid has been off his game lately, struggling on the defensive end and slowing down (slightly) on offense. Thursday night’s loss to Miami was one of his worst games to date, scoring just 17 points on 5-18 shooting while getting torched by Hassan Whiteside on the other end.

Every player goes through rough stretches, so this is nothing to be concerned about. It comes at a bad time with playoff positioning at stake, but Embiid hasn’t really had a bad stretch in his career before. Even this stretch hasn’t been terrible, just below his normal standards.

That said, the reasoning behind his recent slump has been a topic of debate. This is the most competitive the Philadelphia 76ers have been since they drafted Embiid in 2014, so why is he struggling now?

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The answer might be as simple as the rookie wall.

Embiid isn’t a rookie, and I get that. But the concept remains the same: A player who isn’t used to playing this many minutes and this many games getting tired towards the back half of his first full NBA season.

JoJo’s college career was short. He didn’t even finish his one year at Kansas, succumbing to injury after just 28 games. He only averaged 23.1 minutes per game that season.

Last season, after spending two years sidelined with injury, Embiid only made it through 31 minutes-restricted games before going down with yet another injury. This is his first almost-full season of basketball, and he’s playing more minutes than ever before.

Embiid has only played 84 NBA games in his two years on the court, with 53 of them coming this season. He’s averaging 31.3 minutes on top of that, well above the playing time he has received in the past.

After the Sixers’ win in Charlotte on Tuesday night, Embiid had this to say about the amount of games he’s playing and his increasingly evident fatigue:

"“It’s new. I’ve got to get adapted to that. Never done it in my life.” — NBC Sports Philadelphia"

This is normal, and just about every rookie goes through it. Dario Saric hit the wall last season after spending the prior summer playing Olympic ball, while both Jayson Tatum and Kyle Kuzma have gone through pronounced struggles after posting insanely efficient numbers earlier in the season.

Next: Can the Sixers win a playoff series? (mailbag)

The Sixers could use Embiid’s best self down the stretch, but these struggles aren’t anything to stress about long term. Just make sure he gets plenty of rest.