Contrary to what everyone expected before the season began, Joel Embiid has returned to his dominant form for the Philadelphia 76ers. Despite not being fully healthy yet, the former Most Valuable Player has become one of the biggest feel-good stories in the league, bringing some renewed sense of hope for their title aspirations.
Embiid remains elite at the thing he does best –– scoring. But having said that, him playing with an injured knee comes at a huge price. He has become a bit of a liability when it comes to rebounding, which is probably to be expected at this point. His bounce is no longer there, and the 76ers do not want him doubling down on his effort to crash the boards anyway to preserve his body.
For now, the 76ers have fared just fine in the regular season, but when the playoffs come, that could end up being a huge liability for them as a collective. After all, the postseason is a different monster when it comes to physicality, and in the context of a seven-game series, opposing teams will most definitely find a way to exploit that aspect.
The 76ers could face major problems in the playoffs due to Joel Embiid's steep decline in rebounding
So far, Embiid has averaged just 7.5 rebounds despite playing north of 31 minutes a night, which is a clear indicator of his fall from grace as a rebounder. His rebounding average when calibrated to 36 minutes, is only at 8.6, which is easily a career-worst mark.
Not counting last season where he appeared in just 19 outings, his previous career-low was 10.6 boards per 36 minutes, which ironically came during his MVP season.
The 76ers are 21st in the league in rebounding percentage, and they are 19th in rebounds per outing. While those are marked improvements compared to the previous campaign (and the one before that), they are hardly impressive. Teams with more physically imposing frontcourts, such as the Pistons and the Knicks, can easily feast on the boards.
For this very reason, it becomes all the more important for the 76ers to surround Embiid with players who are willing to do the dirty work. Installing Dominick Barlow next to the All-Star has been a good stopgap option for them, but one complementary player cannot be the entire solution to such a vital weakness.
As the 76ers go through the motions in the last two months of the regular season, it is imperative for them to figure out how they can go about things in the rebounding department and help easen the load on Joel Embiid. Otherwise, they could be in for another early exit come April.