If the season ended today, the Philadelphia Sixers would stamp their ticket for an automatic playoff berth. Even better, if the season ended today, Joel Embiid and Paul George would play in the postseason, as neither is out with an injury, just dealing with injury management. Fans know not to trust that, though, and neither does Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, who doesn't think Embiid can make it through the grind of a playoff run.
Right now, the Sixers would play the No. 3 Raptors in the first round, as they lead the Knicks in the standings by half a game. If they won, they'd play the No. 2 Celtics or the No. 7 Heat (we're not factoring the play-in tournament results into this), and if they won that, they'd run into the No. 1 Pistons, assuming they made it past the first two rounds.
As Vecenie said, it's hard to see Philadelphia sweeping any team in the playoffs, so the team could play at least five games in each round. Between the intensity of the postseason, the teams that the Sixers would face, and the grueling schedule, he doesn't believe that the Sixers would make it through "unscathed." He did say that if they (Embiid) could stay healthy, he thinks they could win the East, but that is one big 'if.'
Could Joel Embiid help guide the Sixers to a deep playoff run?
Two years ago, fans watched as Embiid fought on one leg while also dealing with Bell's Palsy in the first round of the playoffs against the Knicks. The season ended with a Game 6 loss. That series in itself was extremely physical and demanding for players on both sides, particularly for Embiid, who had surgery earlier in the calendar year because of a torn meniscus.
He looks much better now than he did then, but it's only the end of January. It's hard not to wonder how long he'll be able to keep up this level of play throughout the next couple of months, much less if his body can withstand the playoff run fans have dreamed of for years.
The postseason is an entirely different beast. In the end, it probably takes more luck than skill to be the last team standing after two long months of playoff basketball. The Sixers could only hope Embiid could withstand that kind of wear and tear, but his history doesn't indicate he could.
When it comes to Embiid, Philadelphia has to take it one game at a time, so the Sixers aren't thinking about how he'll look in the playoffs, but as a fan, it's hard not to think about that. For now, though, all they can do is appreciate how he's playing.