Joel Embiid finally broke through the glass ceiling to win his first NBA MVP award this season. Sadly, it didn’t translate to playoff success for yet another season.
Out of the 36 players to have been awarded the league MVP trophy, Embiid is the only one that’s never made the Conference Finals.
Only one MVP in NBA History has never made a conference finals. pic.twitter.com/VjeEMSC2PX
— JustHoops 🏀 (@JustHoopsMedia) May 14, 2023
Recent MVPs have playoff track records that ensure that they’re at least good enough to reach the Conference Finals. Even ‘playoff choker’ MVPs like James Harden and Russell Westbrook have made it that far, with Nikola Jokic just qualifying for his second appearance in the Conf. Finals this season.
Embiid can campaign to be as good as he wants to be in the regular season, but if he scored just 15 points in an elimination Game 7 and blamed the roster around him for losing, he will never be able to succeed in the postseason.
What’s Next For Joel Embiid?
Joel Embiid is currently under contract with the Philadelphia 76ers until the summer of 2027, meaning the team has multiple years to try and salvage the team around him.
Even if Embiid threw his teammates under the bus after the game, there’s no doubting the pure quality the 76ers have found by drafting Tyrese Maxey along with some ancillary moves they made, like trading for De’Anthony Melton.
Embiid is going to stay in Philly, putting the pressure on the front office to salvage the team. James Harden is likely going to leave the team, so Daryl Morey will have to figure out a way to make Harden stay. If not, he has to find ways to use salary space to further reinforce the roster, including trading away Tobias Harris or even firing Doc Rivers.
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