76ers superstar Joel Embiid worked hard to win the MVP in 2023. But if the 7-foot big man from Cameroon could choose, he would trade it in a heartbeat for just a single healthy playoff run.
“Embiid trains more than anybody but the problem is that once you get hurt it’s not smart to overtrain,” said Embiid’s friend and coach on ‘The Check Ball Show.’ “When he won MVP it was a great moment because we were sitting in the hotel room reminiscing, but when we went back and started looking at the whole process of his development and journey he said all these good things. We were reminiscing, looking through all of his workouts and stuff, going through old footage of his original workouts but then he was like ‘I would honestly trade this MVP if I could just have on healthy post-season run.'”
Joel Embiid shed tears when he won the MVP two years ago. In his view, and many others, he was supposed to win it in the season prior, but Nikola Jokic got the votes instead for his stellar regular-season performance. Joel averaged 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game for the 76ers that year and \was completely unstoppable with the ball in his hands.
Despite his amazing achievements that year, and receiving his highest honor as an NBA player, Embiid still said he would trade it in an instant for one healthy playoff run. And if you look back at his history, you’ll understand why.
As arguably the best or second-best big man in the game for 5+ years now, Joel Embiid should have some long playoff runs to show for his status as one of the elites. But since being drafted in 2014, the 30-year-old center has yet to reach the Conference Finals.
While teammates like Ben Simmons and James Harden have not made things any better for Joel, his biggest problem is simply being available throughout the course of four playoff series.
To date, Embiid has either been injured or gotten injured in every post-season appearance. And while it has a different impact on his game every time, it always prevents him from being his absolute best on the court.
Sadly, health has been a career-long struggle for the 7x All-Star. He missed his first two seasons after being drafted by the 76ers and only played 31 games in his debut campaign.
To date, Embiid has never played more than 68 games in a season and he’s played 51 or fewer at least four times over the past eight years, including last season when he played just 39 games despite being on track to win the MVP.
Fortunately for Embiid, next season could be the one that breaks the cycle. With Tyrese Maxey and veteran swingman Paul George, the 76ers are more stacked with talent than ever before to try and close the gap and keep up with the best of the best in the East.
Of course, none of it will mean a thing if Embiid isn’t there to lead the way. But if he can just stay healthy when they need him the most, the 76ers are in a good position to challenge for the NBA championship and Embiid may finally reach the milestone he’s been waiting so long for.
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