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Philadelphia 76ers: 5 reasons to be excited for 2018-19 NBA season

By Simon Smith

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 24: The Philadelphia 76ers celebrate the series win after the game against the Miami Heat in Game Five of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 24: The Philadelphia 76ers celebrate the series win after the game against the Miami Heat in Game Five of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
(Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

3. Joel Embiid’s quest for league MVP

In his first full season in the league, not much more could’ve been asked from Joel Embiid.

In 63 games, the 7’2″ native of Cameroon averaged 22.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 blocks. Like his debut year the season prior when he appeared in just 31 games, Embiid’s impact when on the floor was profound.

Last season, the Sixers were 11.9 points per 100 possessions better off with Embiid’s presence on the court.

Considering his impact, it was no surprise that not only was Embiid named an All-Star for the first time, but he was also named to the All-NBA Second Team and the NBA All-Defensive Team.

Furthermore, these accomplishments are even more impressive when you consider that Embiid’s preparation for the season was extremely limited. Having had his 2016-17 campaign end prematurely due to knee surgery, Embiid spent the bulk off the offseason in rehabilitation mode.

So much so, that the 24-year-old Embiid entered the 2017-18 season having played a total of just 29 minutes in the preseason.

With this in mind, it comes as little surprise that not only did Embiid have a minutes restriction placed on him to commence the season, but also that his first back-to-back appearance didn’t come until Feb. 3, his 40th game of the season.

https://twitter.com/sixers/status/1043969076953894913

So with the first healthy offseason of his professional career behind him, Embiid has much loftier goals for this upcoming season, namely capturing the MVP award, as he detailed while on tour in August with NBA Africa 2018:

"“I don’t think it matters, big free agent or not. My goal going into the offseason was to get better. I want to win the MVP. I feel like at the end of the day it might be an individual award, but when I play better, the team also does. I feel like if I’m an MVP candidate or if I win the MVP, that means we are on another level.”"

If Embiid’s output can simply match his confidence levels entering this season, becoming a serious contender for the MVP award is certainly not out of the question.