At the start of this NBA season, there was a real sense of unease surrounding Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. The reigning MVP didn’t look like himself-his timing was off, his burst was missing, and his opening night performance against Boston raised more red flags than reassurance.
One-for-nine shooting. Just four points.
For a player of Embiid’s caliber, it was jarring. The whispers turned into full-blown concerns: *Was Embiid finally breaking down?
Had the injuries caught up to him? *
But fast forward to January, and the conversation has taken a hard pivot. Embiid is not only back-he’s dominating. And with that, the Sixers suddenly look like a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference.
Let’s rewind for a second. Embiid missed significant time last season, and he was limited to just 10 games across November and December this year.
Given his injury history and the toll it takes on big men in this league, the skepticism wasn’t unwarranted. When a 7-footer starts to lose his lift and mobility, the decline can be steep and sudden.
That’s what made his sluggish start feel like more than just rust.
But then came January.
In 11 games this month, Embiid has averaged 28.2 points per game on an efficient 54.6% from the field. He’s getting to the line nearly nine times a night, which tells us he’s not just floating around the perimeter-he’s attacking, absorbing contact, and imposing his will in the paint. Perhaps most impressively, he’s strung together four straight 30-point performances, the only center in the league to do that this season.
That’s not just a return to form-that’s a statement.
When Embiid is operating at this level, the Sixers’ ceiling rises dramatically. Tyrese Maxey has taken a leap this season, and rookie VJ Edgecombe is showing flashes that suggest he’s going to be a real contributor sooner rather than later.
But make no mistake: this team’s title hopes hinge on the health and dominance of their franchise cornerstone. And right now, Embiid is reminding everyone exactly why he earned that MVP trophy.
Of course, the big question is whether he can sustain this level of play through the grind of the regular season and into the playoffs. That’s always going to be the caveat when it comes to Embiid. But the fact that we’re even having this conversation again-that he’s looking this explosive, this efficient, this un-guardable-is already a win for Philadelphia.
If Embiid keeps this up, the Sixers aren’t just a solid playoff team. They’re a nightmare matchup. And the rest of the league knows it.