The Philadelphia 76ers have a dangerous Joel Embiid problem

After a pretty long and controversial layoff, Joel Embiid has finally returned to action for the Philadelphia 76ers. Arguably the most anticipated season debut out of anyone this season, the 2023 MVP has been on the burner ever since the team decided to sit him out initially due to injury management.

Unfortunately, even Embiid’s return has not helped the 76ers turn the tide to their favor. Philly has lost both games with Embiid on the hardwood, though not to his fault. Now, the team boasts a lowly 2-10 record, good for 14th place in the East. That cannot be good.

But beyond the standings, the 76ers have something pretty pressing to monitor with regard to Embiid, and it’s a surprising, but perhaps, expected development in light of his long sabbatical.

Joel Embiid is struggling to have an impact on the boards for the 76ers since his return

Embiid has expectedly struggled offensively since retuning. In two games, he has only drained seven out of 26 field goal attempts, with only the charity stripe being the sole avenue of scoring for the superstar.

Still, that part of his game should resolve on its own as he gets his rhythm back. Even Paul George experienced the same in his first few games for the 76ers. Worrying about Embiid’s scoring capacity is a rather moot point.

The issue, however, is his rebounding. He’s tallied just 11 boards across two games, and while that could be largely attributed to his relative lack of on-court reps at this juncture, it’s also valid to recognize that it could be an emerging issue considering his and the team’s more conservative approach in his play style.

Embiid is still moving with a lot of guarded motion on the boards, and the thing is, he is not getting any sprier. That would not be a major wrinkle in most situations, but the 76ers tout a roster construction that solely relies on their centers to move the needle on the boards.

NIck Nurse has yet to deploy bigger lineup configurations, and until he and the coaching staff find a way to mitigate their weakness on the boards, forcing EMbiid to singlehandedly carry them in that department could be perilous.

Hopefully, Joel Embiid gets his bounce back in some way and helps the team out in rebounding, which has become their waterloo this season. Otherwise, the Philadelphia 76ers will have to get more creative, if not funky, just to address the issue.