Joel Embiid faces a make-or-break season with 76ers

The last several months haven’t been particularly kind to Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. 

In January, Embiid suffered a knee injury that required surgery and caused him to miss months of action. In April, he revealed a Bell’s palsy diagnosis resulting in blurred vision and partial face paralysis. And despite battling through his ailments, the Sixers were then knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by the Knicks.

Then the Olympics rolled around, and suddenly Embiid wasn't playing like a former MVP. He even got called out by Charles Barkley for his play, with the former player repeatedly stressing the fact that he believes Embiid is out of shape.

French fans also haven’t been shy about expressing their disdain for Embiid. They’ve booed him every game because at one point he expressed interest in playing for France, only to decide to suit up for Team USA.

While Embiid redeemed himself a little with a solid performance against Brazil, fans in Philadelphia are probably much more concerned with how he will play against New York and Boston when the new NBA season begins. It’s hard to argue that Embiid isn’t one of the best players in 76ers history (perhaps even better than Mr. Barkley), and scoring titles and MVP awards are great. But they aren’t enough.

With the addition of Paul George and the emergence of Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia has assembled its best team in decades. And while they will take some of the load off of Embiid, it’s still his team, and he will be under tremendous pressure to bring home a championship.

A lot of this will depend on how much time he can actually spend out on the court. Embiid has never played more than 68 games in a season, and he only played in 39 regular season games last year.

Embiid has three years left on his current contract, so — due to his age (30) and balky knees — it stands to reason that the Sixers have a three-year window to win a title. If they don’t, Philly fans will almost certainly direct their ire at him. You can bet it will be a little louder and more specific than anything he's heard in Paris.