After making his long-awaited season debut, Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid's play has left a lot to be desired. He logged just 13 minutes in his debut and was understandably rusty after missing the team's first 10 games, though he played better in his second game even though he often settled for jumpers. Still, there are warning signs involving Embiid.
One warning sign is that he has already been ruled out for the first or second game of all back-to-backs for the remainder of his playing career. That is an unprecedented step that would automatically cost him around 15 games a season and even take him out of MVP consideration due to the games played rule requirements.
Having already missed 10 games and with 14 more back-to-back games left on the Sixers' schedule, Embiid will have trouble getting into a rhythm with only 58 possible regular season games that he can play. That assumes that he won't get injured again over the rest of the regular season, something that seems unlikely.
That led to an interesting discussion on a recent Ringer podcast, with Bill Simmons comparing this version of Embiid to a past-his-prime Shaquille O'Neal.
Should the Sixers be worried about what they saw from Joel Embiid last night?@BillSimmons and @kirkgoldsberry weigh in. pic.twitter.com/WsIv7orgTf
— The Ringer (@ringer) November 13, 2024
If Joel Embiid isn't the same player, then the Philadelphia 76ers are in trouble.
If that assessment of Embiid turns out to be true, then the Sixers have a big problem on their hands. Most agree that Shaq's physical peak was as a member of the Orlando Magic, while his actual peak came during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was still a star on the Miami Heat, though not nearly as dominant, while he was merely good in Phoenix and put up solid numbers.
However, if Embiid is over the hill as far as his prime, then the Sixers have a huge problem on their hands. He is being paid like a top-five player in the NBA but if he is a top-30 player, then their off-season overhaul probably won't amount to much in terms of playoff success.
Never mind that Embiid can't seem to stay healthy throughout a long playoff run. If Embiid isn't healthy and nearly as dominant as he was a season ago, then the Sixers go from being a title contender to being just a playoff team.
On the other hand, if Embiid can regain his superstar status, then the Sixers could make noise in the East. All in all, the 76ers currently appear to be behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks in the pecking order, so they will need Embiid to be healthy.