76ers' Joel Embiid soaring, but a big question remains

Coming off an MVP season, Joel Embiid is playing the best basketball of his career for the surging 76ers (23-10). Through 26 games, he is averaging a league-leading 34.8 points and ranks fifth in rebounds with 11.8 per game.

“If he finishes this season the way he’s playing now, it would be the greatest season of a single player that’s ever played basketball,” teammate Patrick Beverley said recently. That's a stretch, but Embiid is clearly having another MVP-caliber season.

While Embiid seems to be at his basketball peak, it is still fair to wonder whether he can perform like an MVP in the playoffs. 

He averaged 33.1 points per game and shot 54.8% during the regular season in 2022-23, but those numbers fell to 23.7 points and a 43.1% field-goal percentage in the playoffs. In 2021-22, he dropped from 30.6 points in the regular season to 23.6 points in the playoffs.

The most impressive part of Embiid's 2023-24 season is his increased playmaking ability. The seven-footer is averaging a career-high 6.2 assists.

Embiid's newfound passing ability has made it harder for opponents to double-team him in the post as he can now pass the ball out to Philadelphia's three-point shooters in ways he could not before. 

The attention Embiid commands leads to open three-point attempts, and thus the team ranks ninth in three-point shooting percentage (37.5). 

The combination of Philadelphia's shooting efficiency and the scoring force of Embiid has powered the 76ers to the fourth-best offensive rating (120.4) in the NBA. (Offensive rating is the number of points scored per 100 possessions.) 

Not only is Embiid an offensive force, but he is also one on defense. He ranks 10th in the league with two blocks per game and has backstopped the 76ers to the second-best defensive rating (110) in the NBA. (Defensive rating is the number of points allowed per 100 possessions.)

While Embiid has been unstoppable all season, his December was historic.