At the start of this season, Philadelphia 76ers fans as well as the national audience were rightly concerned with Joel Embiid. He didn't look anything like the player we knew him to be in his MVP years. But now, a borderline miracle has occurred as Embiid is beginning to look like a dominant force again, and that means the Sixers have a legitimate path to a championship.
Back on opening night, the posts that were going viral were of Embiid's box score. Throughout NBA media spaces, living rooms, and sports bars across America, there were shouts of "Woah! Is Embiid done for?" and "I don't think he'll ever be the same player again," among other similar phrases. But now, he's quickly proving that those were all overreactions.
To a degree, the reactions at the beginning of the season were justified. Joel had missed a significant amount of time in the previous year, and the injuries were truly beginning to add up. He only put up a measly four points on 1-for-9 shooting against Boston in that opening game. Injury trouble has historically not been kind to big men in this league, and much of Embiid's burst looked gone. Counting him out at that point just felt logical.
Joel Embiid's greatness can make Philly a surprise contender
But with some time and after playing only 10 combined games in November and December, Joel has incredibly gotten back to an All-Star, if not All-NBA, level of play since then. In 11 games in January, he's averaging 28.2 points on 54.6% shooting, while getting to the free throw line almost nine times per game. As of this writing, he's now put up four straight 30-point games, becoming the only center in the league this season to achieve that feat.
It seemed impossible before, but Embiid is looking much closer to the player that no one could stop just a couple of years ago. And with this reality slowly coming into focus, it's waking the rest of the league up to the frightening truth that Philadelphia absolutely has a shot at competing for an NBA championship this season.
The fact is that the 76ers were already set up to be a strong playoff performer before, and having Joel healthy only adds to their formula. Tyrese Maxey's brilliance and VJ Edgecombe's budding talent will only be amplified if number 21 continues looking like one of the best players on the planet once again.
Embiid staying healthy and looking like this for the rest of the season is a stretch, but no one thought he could even reach the level he's at right now again. He's already defied the odds, so why can't he continue to? There's no guarantees, but it's safe to say rival teams will be feeling quite nervous if Joel Embiid is tearing up the league headed into the postseason.