Seriously slowed down by his knee against the Pacers, Joel Embiid ultimately did not take part in the match against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets in Denver. A last minute package which caused a lot of ink to flow. The reigning MVP, however, missed the following match, against the Blazers, before playing again against the Warriors…
The problem is that the Sixers pivot was clearly not in his best form against Golden State, and that he also took Jonathan Kuminga on his left knee, the one that was bothering him.
Driven to perform under public pressure?
In these conditions, ESPN announces he will not be in uniform, next night, against Utah, for the end of this five-game “road trip”. While the Sixers lost the first four. Joel Embiid should therefore return directly to Philadelphia, in order to take care of his knee, which has been bothering him for several weeks.
The other problem is that with this failed meeting against the Jazz, the reigning MVP will miss his 13th game of the campaign, and that he is only allowed 17 absences to be eligible to keep his crown.
Is this what pushed Joel Embiid to play against Golden State, when he was clearly not in his best shape? The person concerned, however, assured that his health came before the defense of his Michael Jordan trophy. Nevertheless, according to The Athleticsome Sixers executives believe that their star played in the game against the Warriors because of the public pressure received following his withdrawal from the Rockies.
Perhaps a bad operation, in the long term, the success in the playoffs of the Sixers depending on the health of the pivot.
| Joel Embiid | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 | PHL | 31 | 25 | 46.6 | 36.7 | 78.3 | 2.0 | 5.9 | 7.8 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 0.9 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 20.2 |
| 2017-18 | PHL | 63 | 30 | 48.3 | 30.8 | 76.9 | 2.3 | 8.7 | 11.0 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 22.9 |
| 2018-19 | PHL | 64 | 34 | 48.4 | 30.0 | 80.4 | 2.5 | 11.1 | 13.6 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 1.9 | 27.5 |
| 2019-20 | PHL | 51 | 30 | 47.7 | 33.1 | 80.7 | 2.8 | 8.9 | 11.6 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 23.0 |
| 2020-21 | PHL | 51 | 31 | 51.3 | 37.7 | 85.9 | 2.2 | 8.4 | 10.6 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 28.5 |
| 2021-22 | PHL | 68 | 34 | 49.9 | 37.1 | 81.4 | 2.2 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 3.2 | 1.5 | 30.6 |
| 2022-23 ★ | PHL | 66 | 35 | 54.8 | 33.0 | 85.7 | 1.7 | 8.4 | 10.2 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 33.1 |
| 2023-24 | PHL | 34 | 34 | 53.3 | 36.6 | 88.3 | 2.6 | 8.7 | 11.3 | 5.7 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 35.3 |
| Total | 428 | 32 | 50.4 | 33.9 | 82.5 | 2.3 | 8.9 | 11.2 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 27.9 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
