2. Joel Embiid falls short of another MVP award
The 76ers were the No. 2 team in the East before Joel Embiid went down to injury last season. By all odds, Philadelphia should be flirting with the pole position in the conference in 2024-25 unless the 2023 Most Valuable Players misses a big chunk of the season. While this is a leap of faith, we digress.
In fact, count on the team to turn in a very strong regular season campaign that should have Embiid in serious MVP consideration. He was the undisputed favorite before his injury last season, and his numbers should continue to be the same where it was. However, he’s probably going to fall short of another MVP trophy.
The award is the most narrative-based one in the NBA, and this time, the strength of the 76ers’ sum could be something the media and the voters could leverage against Embiid’s individual brilliance. Anyway, winning MVP wouldn’t be his priority next season with the team having a reasonable shot to come out of the East and play in the NBA Finals.