Philadelphia 76ers: 3 players facing the most pressure in 2019-20

2. Joel Embiid

1980s babies and basketball purists will not hesitate to tell you that today’s NBA is soft, and that there aren’t any more great centers as the league is now obsessed with 3-pointers and crossovers.

There are, however, still a few teams building around a big man. The Sixers are the most high-profile fitting that description, as they have placed their future primarily on the shoulders of 25-year-old, 7-foot All-NBA superstar Joel Embiid.

The man who literally embodies “The Process” — it’s his personal nickname as well as the title of the franchise’s narrative — averaged 27.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.9 blocks per game last season.

He earned All-NBA second team and All-Defensive second team honors, finishing seventh in league MVP voting.

Embiid’s talent is undeniable and his production suggests he’s close to reaching the immense potential he had coming out of Kansas as the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

The biggest question mark remains Embiid’s health and his ability to stay on the court.

Embiid missed two whole seasons after he was drafted, recovering from foot injuries. When he finally made his debut, he played only 31 games as a rookie thanks to a knee injury cutting his season short.

The last two seasons have seen Embiid regularly sitting out a lot of games even when he’s not injured. He played 63 games in 2017-18, and 64 games last season.

While he did enough to get All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defensive recognition in those two years, he also became the face of the “load management” trend.

Embiid has yet to make an uninterrupted playoff run. In 2018, an orbital fracture sidelined him for two games in Philly’s first-round series with Miami, and in 2019 a stomach flu forced him to sit out a game against the Brooklyn Nets in the first round.

When he has played, Embiid’s postseason production has been lacking. His career playoff numbers are 20.7 points per game on 43.1 percent field-goal shooting, a noticeable decline compared to his regular-season stats.

This upcoming season, the pressure is on Embiid to make it to the postseason intact, and then produce like the superstar he is once he’s under the bright lights.

As much talent as Philly has on its roster, Embiid is the focal point and he’s the man expected to lead the Sixers to the next level.