Even after winning MVP, 76ers star Joel Embiid squeezes more from his game

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid's individual résumé is about as good as it gets for an NBA player still in his 20s: six-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defense, two-time scoring champion and one MVP.

If the 29-year-old Philadelphia star's game lagged in one area, it was his distribution abilities. He has never been a bad passer — in fact, he has made subtle improvements in that area throughout his career — but he's never been a high-level facilitator like Denver's Nikola Jokic, Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis or even Houston phenom Alperen Sengun.

This season, Embiid still isn't quite on their level when it comes to distribution chops, but he has shown massive passing improvement, which opens so many doors for Philly's offense.

In 2023-24, Embiid's passing numbers are up across the board. He's averaging a career-high 6.4 assists per game and a career-high assist rate of 32.5% (third best among big men). He's also averaging 44.7 passes per game, 10.2 potential assists per game and owns an assist-to-pass ratio of 14.4%.

Last season, those numbers were 40.5 passes per game, 6.3 potential assists and an assist-to-pass ratio of 10.2% — even those figures, at the time, were some of the best marks of his career.

The 2022-23 MVP's passing development isn't just the product of a new system, though head coach Nick Nurse's offense has helped unlock the two-man game between him and Tyrese Maxey, which has resulted in the second-best offensive rating in the league. (Maxey himself is averaging a career-high 6.7 assists.) Rather, Embiid is making a concerted effort to get his teammates involved by showcasing a vision that fans haven't seen in the past. 

Embiid has spoken about how Denver runs its offense through Jokic, allowing the two-time MVP to be involved in more ways than just scoring. While Jokic still clears the Sixers star in pure passing ability (because he clears everybody in passing ability), Embiid's newfound propensity for facilitation has helped transform the Sixers offense for the better.

Such a big style change often leads to a drop-off in other statistical categories, but that is not the case for Embiid thus far. He's still hyper-aggressive when hunting for his own shot, which is why he's averaging 33.4 points per game and shooting 21.2 times per game, both career highs. 

Perhaps the wildest part of all? Embiid's usage rate is actually down from the past two seasons (36.7% vs. 37 and 37.2, respectively), which means he's not any more of an offensive hub this season than in seasons years. He has just been more efficient and effective with his decision-making when the ball is in his hands. His elbow touches and post-ups are down from last season, but his paint touches are up, which means he's not just trying to bully defenders down low — he's still doing that plenty, though.

Embiid's personal accomplishments are mighty impressive, but until he makes a playoff run past the second round, questions will remain about his ability to lead a team to the highest level of success. Will improvements as a passer be the catalyst for Philadelphia making a deep playoff run? Can he and Maxey continue to be a world-beating duo when defenses scheme around them for seven games?

Those questions won't be answered until May 2024, when the playoffs roll around, but it's surely a good sign that Embiid is still expanding his game this deep into his career. He's still playing the style of basketball that won him an MVP, and he's added a few more tools to his tool belt.