The Philadelphia 76ers 2024 season ended with yet another disappointing finish, as they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the New York Knicks. For many Philly fans, this was another chapter in a seemingly endless saga of postseason heartbreak. The team has failed to advance past the second round for the duration of Joel Embiid’s tenure.
The 2024/25 season will be the tenth season for the team’s superstar big man. Despite his individual brilliance, Embiid has yet to lead the 76ers to a conference finals. Numerous factors have contributed to this, with injuries being a significant one.
Every postseason seems to bring a new ailment for Embiid. He’s missed time or been hindered with an injury each and every playoffs. And this past season was no different.
Embiid played through the Knicks series with a torn meniscus and Bell’s Palsy, visibly struggling despite posting impressive stats (33 points and 10 rebounds per game, +46 for the series). But despite the efficiency, he looked like a shell of himself on defense and was clearly hindered throughout the series.
Fan Frustration
The constant injury issues have become extremely frustrating for Philly fans, prompting some to question whether the team should move on from Embiid.
And while it does seem that there is no way the big man can stay healthy for an entire season, the 76ers are correct in going all in to win while Joel Embiid is still around.
Joel is undoubtedly the best player to put on a 76ers uniform since the great Allen Iverson. And when it’s all said and done, I believe Joel could surpass Iverson in legacy.
When healthy, Embiid is undeniably one of the best and most efficient scorers in NBA history. In fact, he’s actually the NBA’s all time leader in Points Per Minute.
Let’s say the fans and analysts who want him gone after this past season get their way, and the 76ers trade the 2023 MVP away to a contending team.
Trading Embiid would likely bring a significant return, perhaps a borderline All-Star and 4/5 first-round picks. However, history shows that teams losing a player of Embiid’s caliber will almost never become contenders immediately.
Just look at the Thunder post-Kevin Durant, the Rockets after James Harden, and the Spurs post-Kawhi Leonard. Each team faced long rebuilds. And even with the rebuilds, you have to draft the right players and make the right moves to give yourself a chance to compete again.
It’s Been a Long Hard Road
As I mentioned, Joel is the best Sixer we have seen in a very long time. AI was the last Sixer to lead them to the NBA Finals, and the last time that Iverson led the team to a Conference Finals win was 2001! 23 years ago!!!
It has been 23 seasons since the Sixers have been capable of a deep run into the playoffs.
So I am with Darryl Morey and the Sixers organization in continuing to build around Joel and giving him as many chances as possible while he’s still in his prime. And this finally seems like the right team to give Joel a chance to win it all.
The Case for Embiid
Embiid has always lacked a reliable second and third scoring option. This could change with the emergence of Tyrese Maxey, who had a breakout season in 2023 and was arguably the best player on the court during their playoff series against the Knicks.
And the addition of 10-time All-Star Paul George as a solid third option significantly improves the team, especially compared to having Tobias Harris in that role. Tobias had 0 points in the elimination game — $36 Million, and 0 points…. PG is not the MVP caliber player he once was, but he is miles better than Tobias Harris.
So again, Embiid has never in his career had that reliable second and third option. And that is clearly what it takes to win in the NBA nowadays.
While this may be the best team Joel has ever had around him, the 76ers title hopes still rely on the big man’s ability to stay healthy. If the basketball gods favor Embiid this season, Philadelphia might finally bring the Larry O’Brien Trophy back home. Keeping Joel around is the only way the Sixers will have a chance for a very long time.
