Philadelphia 76ers: Are we taking Joel Embiid’s dominance for granted?

Joel Embiid is the most exciting player in the NBA.

He’s a dominant defensive presence, a threat to score from anywhere in the halfcourt, and an enigmatic showman the likes of which the NBA hasn’t seen since “The Big Aristotle” was breaking baskets back in the early 90s.

If Embiid wins MVP, it’ll be justified. If he loses the award, especially to a player who lacks his well-rounded game, it’ll sit right up there with Malcolm Brogdon’s Rookie of the Year award as one of the biggest snubs in NBA history.

To paraphrase Silvio Dante, that would be “Anti-Process discrimination.”

But here’s the thing about Embiid’s on-court mastery, it’s become so commonplace that it’s started to lose its shine. With the regular season winding down and the MVP voting window coming with it, I have to ask: Are Philadelphia 76ers fans collectively taking Joel Embiid’s game for granted?

Take a step back and appreciate Joel Embiid’s mastery, Philadelphia 76ers fans.

More from Section 215

• 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
• Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
• 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
• Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
• Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles

Through the first 38 games of the 2020-21 NBA season, Joel Embiid is averaging 30 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game, good for the third, ninth, and 13th best marks among qualifying players in the NBA. Embiid is recording the fewest turnovers of his career versus the third-most assists – good for a near 1:1 ratio – and he’s draining a career-high 37.9 percent of his shots from beyond the arc and a career-high 51.6 from the field as a whole.

Heck, Embiid is even taking an average of two more free throws than any other player in the NBA and knocking them down at a career-high 85.5 percent clip, with is very good for a legit 7-footer.

Honestly, it would be easier to point out categories where Embiid isn’t putting up career-best numbers – defensive rebounds and blocks – and even there, his stats still rank among the best in the NBA.

Though he could still use some work on his handle, as turning the ball over three-plus times each game still isn’t ideal, considering his 35.1 usage rate is a full 10 points higher than the Sixers’ second-leading option, Shake Milton, it’s hard to quibble with that too much.

But wait, there’s more. Embiid has the rare distinction of having scored a point per minute in 18 of his 38 appearances this season, which is a feat very few players accomplish once, let alone a dozen and a half times. Teams have to explicitly game plan around Embiid’s presence, as we saw with the Brooklyn Nets’ double-teaming (more on that here), but even such radically-focused defensive efforts at best only slow “The Process” down.

Much like Workaholics‘ Adam DeMamp, you can’t stop Joel Embiid; you can only hope to contain him.

So, with Embiid currently on a tear, why aren’t his efforts getting more attention? I mean sure, Twitter and Sportscenter are littered with highlights of his heroics – even if the latter of which isn’t allowed in Ben Simmons house – but Embiid’s play hasn’t quite risen to the level of mandatory viewing for NBA fans the world over in the same way as vintage Kobe, or LeBron during their MVP campaigns.

Take, for example, the Sixers’ recent win over the Los Angeles Clippers. As a whole, it wasn’t a very good game, but Embiid still put up eight points in the final eight minutes, hauled in a pair of rebounds, and helped the Sixers come in for a landing with a three-point victory over Doc Rivers’ former squad. If Embiid was on the sidelines alongside Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, and Dwight Howard, do the Sixers win that game? Probably not. Heck, if Embiid was out, but the other three are in, I think there’s a very legitimate argument to be made that the Sixers may still find themselves losers in their second and final contest against the Clippers; that’s how impactful Embiid is.

Has dropping 36-14 become commonplace for the best pound-for-pound paint performer in the NBA? Does Embiid need to start making shots from the logo to get fans’ attention, or throw down NFT-worthy tomahawk dunks to get a little extra love from the casual NBA fan?

I mean, come on, how can you watch that highlight ree and not have a smile on your face… unless you’re a Clippers fan.

No, I think we as the NBA community need to take a step back and appreciate just how incredible Joel Embiid has been playing this season. The Philadelphia 76ers are where they are because of his newfound commitment to fitness – both physical and mental – and his new statistical blossoming is a direct byproduct of that hard work. In a game that’s becoming more and more predicated on speed and outside shooting, Embiid’s dominant interior game has to be commended, especially if he can ride it all the way to the MVP stage.