Sixers: 3 reasons Joel Embiid is worth his supermax despite injuries

Joel Embiid’s MVP caliber play

Embiid averaged the highest scoring average of his career with 28.5 points per game. He averaged a double double with 10.6 rebounds to go along with it. The only individual Sixer season in the last two decades that compares to the production Embiid just had was Allen Iverson’s MVP season from 2000-01.

Had Embiid not suffered a bone bruise in March, he may have won the MVP over Nikola Jokic. He was the betting favorite prior to the March injury vs. Washington after all. Personally, I would’ve voted for Jokic to win MVP at end of the season much like the media did, but it was always a 1A-1B race in my opinion.

If you’re getting that level of play from Embiid in an NBA where the regular season matters less than it ever has, what does it matter if he misses 15-20 games? In 34 Sixers playoff games during his tenure, Embiid has played in 30 of them. Had he not gotten accidentally hit in the face by teammate Markelle Fultz in 2017, it would be 32/34 games.

The Embiid injury concerns are real, but overstated. He’s played 70 percent of each regular season dating back to 2017. He’s played in almost every crucial playoff game for the team. With the Cameroonian big man playing at the level that he currently is, the Sixers absolutely should take whatever injury baggage might come with Embiid’s superstar production.