The Philadelphia 76ers, despite having one of the most loaded teams in the NBA, will only have a single representative in the All-Star Game. Joel Embiid, who has had a massive resurgence this season, did not get any call-up, which is made all the more puzzling by the fact that Adam Silver has had numerous chances to reward him with a spot due to all the injured stars who will be unable to participate.
As a result, a lot of fans have been fuming about the blatant disrespect the NBA has given to Embiid. But having said that, the 76ers actually benefit from this. After all, the superstar should be able to have a longer period to rest his body ahead of the stretch run, especially now that he has been sidelined for the last couple of games.
Embiid did not suit up against Portland and New York (both of which resulted into losses) due to reported soreness on his right knee. He will be reevaluated after the All-Star break, and him sitting the annual festivities out will give him the necessary time he needs to wind down for a tad and focus on strengthening his knee.
The 76ers benefit in a huge way despite egregious All-Star snub for Joel Embiid
Heading into the break, the 76ers have a 30-24 record. That win-loss card has them at sixth place in the East. Of course, the goal is to get homecourt advantage for at least the first-round, and they are not too far from that. They are only 3.5 games away from the fourth-seeded Cavaliers.
Having Embiid at peak capacity, however, will be the main determining factor for their late-season push. That is more so the case since the 76ers have the eighth-easiest schedule remaining. Of the team ahead of them, only Cleveland is projected to have an easier slate to end the campaign.
It might not be ideal, but the 76ers have also returned to having to rely on Embiid much more than they should. He has averaged north of 34 minutes per game since the calendar flipped to 2026, and that is expected to be the status quo moving forward save for his scheduled absences during back-to-backs. As such, it is vital that he gets as much rest as he should as the games start carrying more weight to them.
Joel Embiid is an All-Star player, but even that statement undermines his real value to the 76ers and the league at large. He remains one of the best players on the planet, and an All-Star snub will not wash away that fact.