Joel Embiid is one of the most dominant forces in modern NBA history, if not the full existence of the Association. He's scored in a manner comparable to Wilt Chamberlain, rebounded and defended at truly elite levels, and imposed his will on any defender who thinks they can take him one-on-one.
Unfortunately, the 2024-25 regular season is shaping up to be yet another campaign during which the 76ers' franchise player fails to take home any accolades.
Embiid won the 2022-23 NBA MVP award, thus solidifying his place as one of the best big men in Association history. He's also a five-time All-NBA honoree, seven-time All-Star, and two-time scoring champion—incredible accolades that somehow sell his greatness short.
Unfortunately, the odds of Embiid adding to his regular season résumé took a serious hit when Shams Charania of ESPN reported that he would miss the first week of the 2024-25 season.
76ers: Joel Embiid and Paul George are out for opener vs. Bucks on Wednesday. Embiid is progressing well and ramping up, scrimmaging this week. He will not play this week. George will be re-evaluated later in the week. pic.twitter.com/oDFyAx1mbz
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 22, 2024
It's a logical approach for Embiid and the 76ers to take to his recovery process, but it also means that he's a virtual lock to miss out on MVP or All-NBA honors in 2024-25.
Joel Embiid already setting the pace to play fewer than 65 games
The 2023-24 season began a new era for the awards-voting process in the NBA. The Association announced a new 65-game minimum for any player to be considered for end-of-the-year honors such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA, or All-Defense.
Embiid will miss the first three games of the 2024-25 campaign, meaning he can play no more than 79 this season—and he's already revealed that he expects to miss another 13.
Philadelphia will play 13 back-to-backs, amounting to 26 games total, this season. Embiid and 76ers head coach Nick Nurse told Tim Bontemps of ESPN that their preference would be for the superstar center to not play both legs of any one of those back-to-backs.
Mathematically, that now puts Embiid at a maximum of 66 games played in 2024-25—meaning he'd only be able to miss one other game if he hopes to qualify for an award.
The odds of Embiid being healthy enough to play in every game but both legs of a back-to-back and the opening week are remarkably low. That isn't a comment on his injury history, but instead an acknowledgment of the simple fact that most players fail to appear in 100 percent of the games they plan to be available for.
For perspective: In 2023-24, only 22 players missed a maximum of one game—and only six of those 22 averaged at least 30.0 minutes played.
Beyond the accolades that Embiid is on pace to be disqualified from, the 76ers may play at least 16 games without the former MVP. Suiting up without the franchise player for just under 20 percent of the regular season is far from ideal, although there's reason to believe the new-look roster can get the job done in his absence.
The 76ers are more concerned with championships than accolades, but it's unfortunate to see Embiid already on pace to miss out on the awards he otherwise plays well enough to earn.