On Wednesday, Joel Embiid opened his night with a three pointer from the top of the key to give the 76ers an early one point lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Philadelphia was ran off the floor at home in a game showing this team's flaws, but that basket propelled the thirty-one year old seven footer to 13,000 career points in a 76ers uniform, a number that for numerous periods of his NBA career would have been considered beyond belief.
Equally absurd, in the same game Embiid passed 15,000 minutes played across his ten seasons suiting up for Philadelphia. These paired milestones, placing the former MVP firmly in the franchise's top ten in points scored and top twenty in minutes played, would have been unfathomable to all but the most hopeful fans when he was drafted back in 2014.
Joel Embiid makes his mark on the 76ers history books
Embiid missed his first two seasons owing to multiple surgeries and an extended recovery period for injuries to his lower body. Since then, Embiid's dominance has been limited by a series of injuries that would shock and awe even grizzled orthopedists including damage suffered to his back, both knees, both feet, left shoulder, left hand, and face. Excluding playoff series, since being drafted Embiid has played in 473 out of 941 possible 76ers games.
The laundry list of injuries and missed time makes the Big Fella one of the NBA's greatest ever "what ifs". The last decade of NBA basketball might have looked quite different had Embiid's availability been as consistent as his dominance. The 76ers have not summited that mountain, or even gotten particularly close, with multiple game seven heartbreaks holding claim to the best chance at a ring.
But it's important to appreciate all that Embiid has accomplished through a battle-tested career. He scored 70 points in a game and has hit 50 points eight times across career. The year after his MVP, across nearly forty games he was on pace to average more points than minutes played, a feat accomplished by only the mythical Wilt Chamberlain.
He seemingly isn't that same player anymore. Age may be catching up with the center from Kansas. Although he has recently rounded back into All Star form, the Olympic Gold Medalist has handed the keys to The Franchise, and Maxey's ascendance is something to be appreciated as it arrives. But there's still a seven time All Star patrolling the paint, shimmying through screen and rolls, and pump faking fineable DX celebrations. He's still here, and he's just about everything we hoped he could be.