The Philadelphia 76ers might be a difficult bunch to gauge, but people might have no other choice but to tilt their takes toward the positive when talking about them. Who is the suspect? Well, look no further than Joel Embiid, who has been absolutely stellar as of late and is finally starting to look like himself on a consistent basis.
Slowly but surely, Embiid has been shattering the glib narratives that have haloed above him for quite some time now. As of late, the naysayers have become dead silent thanks to his impressive production over the last few weeks. In his last six outings, he has averaged 29.2 points, eight rebounds, and 3.8 assists per outing while also playing 33 minutes a night during that span.
The 76ers have not had a sterling record yet, but everyone knows that their win-loss card in the regular season is secondary with this group. This teams remains one of the most talented ones in the NBA, but getting Embiid to function like his normal self will pretty much determined if they have what it takes to be relevant come playoff time.
Joel Embiid playing like himself again for the 76ers is bad news for the rest of the league
It seems disingenuous to call Embiid a revelation in any kind of discourse considering his pedigree, but given the things that have been said about him, it is only fair that even him merely returning to the form he showed not too long ago be casted with some vindicating light.
At his very best (and when healthy), Embiid remains a top-five talent in the NBA. One can question the many red flags in his game which are largely brought upon by things not within his control, but there is simply no denying his impact on the 76ers’ ceiling.
Embiid is starting to get comfortable playing a lot of minutes, which is wildly impressive for someone who basically has one functional knee. He is slowly acclimating to his physical realities, and the fact that he is still this dominant despite these handicaps flips the narrative for this 76ers squad. If he keeps this up, Philadelphia stands to be more than just a “tough-out” in the postseason.
It is incredibly satisfying to see Joel Embiid, who has been maligned so much by unfair narratives and uninformed criticisms, make a resounding statement with his on-court dominance. After all, while the 76ers know he still has it, the rest of the league seems to have gotten a collective amnesia of his elite talent.