Why you shouldn’t panic over Sixers losing streak: Absent MVP
Joel Embiid will not win the MVP award this season. The potential for more absences aside, he probably won’t overcome the likes of Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry, who seem primed to trade blows all season. That doesn’t mean Embiid doesn’t exert MVP-level influence over the Sixers every night. There remains precious few NBA players who can match Embiid’s impact on both sides of the ball.
Even early this season, with Embiid’s offense is something of a tailspin, his was absolutely essential to Philadelphia’s success. The Sixers were 8-2 despite Embiid’s shooting struggles, and it’s no coincidence that his absence has most overtly tanked Philadelphia’s ability to compete.
Once Embiid gets back, the Sixers should immediately return to the top of the conference. If not record-wise, at least production-wise. Embiid’s mere presence opens up driving lanes and shooting spaces that are otherwise unavailable. The Sixers’ team-wide shooting slump can be attributed to natural regression, yes, but it’s also fair to highlight Embiid as a reason for Curry, Niang, and Korkmaz to suddenly lose touch from behind the 3-point line.
The Sixers’ defense has also been in a tailspin lately. It wasn’t in a tailspin to begin the season, when only Ben Simmons was out, and it didn’t drop off precipitously when Matisse Thybulle first missed time. Embiid is by far the Sixers’ most important defender, if not outright the Sixers’ best defender. He covers an absurd amount of ground as a rim protector, which frees up the perimeter defenders to take more risks and play more aggressively. Simmons and Thybulle can’t do what they do at the highest possible level without Embiid there to make back-aisle cleanups.
So, in short, this losing streak has more to do with Embiid’s absence than anything else. Once Embiid returns, the Sixers will look like a contender again. The losing streak is a setback, and the Sixers will have to work hard to climb back up the standings, but it’s no cause for panic.