There is no doubt that Joel Embiid is an extremely talented player who, when healthy and on the court, is one of, if not the most, dominating players in the league. It’s also true that he is not consistently healthy, which causes some to see a continually injured and unavailable star-caliber player that they’ve relegated to being a failure due to that unavailability and because he hasn’t led the Sixers to an NBA title.
There was a time, not too long ago, that Joel Embiid had established himself as one of the best up-and-coming players in the league, on his way to superstardom. He was playing tennis and basketball in the city during the summer months, constantly laughing and enjoying all of the life that comes with being an NBA superstar.
Then, it all seemed to disappear.
Each repeated Sixers failure in the playoffs was usually accompanied by injuries to Embiid, and he continued to fail to lift his team to the conference finals, let alone the NBA Finals. With every year that Embiid and the Sixers were sent home early, the blame fell on the shoulders of the team’s biggest star.
While there is fair criticism for Embiid, looking through a list of his injuries in the playoffs, he has also often shown the fight that Philly fans admire and look for in their players.
- 2024 – Torn Meniscus
- 2023 – Knee Sprain
- 2022 – Orbital Fracture, Concussion, Torn Thumb Ligament
- 2021 – Torn Meniscus
- 2020 – played all 12 playoff games
- 2019 – Knee tendinitus
- 2018 – Orbital fracture, Concussion
There was a report on a study from 2020 in which there were 53 incidences of facial fractures in the NBA over 34 years. This included 15 orbital bone fractures, of which Joel Embiid has had three. It’s not like he’s sat out because he was tired; he’s played with a broken face among many other injuries he’s faced. The same way Allen Iverson played through injury and was hailed for it, Embiid is destroyed.
He’s spent his whole career in Philly, led the team to successful regular seasons, and has had some moments in the playoffs, but without a title, Embiid has been remade as a failure and a soft player by those brave enough to talk trash from behind a camera or keyboard.
When the topic of Embiid is brought up now, people lean towards the narrative that he’s not a true leader because he’s never been past the second round of the playoffs but people tend to forget that teams that he’s been tasked with leading. The team was built, rebuilt and then rebuilt again by those in charge of the franchise while Embiid was out there when he could be and lots of times when he shouldn’t be, but management, coaching and team construction is a topic for several other days.
What Embiid has done, since his arrival in Philadelphia just over 10 years ago, is battle constantly with his body as well as the rest of the league, which has tried to stop him. Except for one glaring hole in his resume, Embiid has established himself as an all-time great center whose injuries have inhibited him from displaying his powers with any consistency. If you judge Embiid harshly, then you should look at his comparison to Yao Ming.
From his first injury to his foot, during his rookie year, reportedly having been handled by an intern and not recognized until it didn’t heal properly (as Embiid had told the team all along) up to the past year when he was seemingly being pushed to play when his body was not physically ready, Embiid has embodied the toughness and fight that the fans usually embrace. Yet, here we are as the 2025 season approaches with Embiid, the villain.
Embiid has taken control of the rehab of his knee and body, as he stated in an ESPN article in July, that he’s not going to “push anything” for the first time, he feels, in his career. His goal is to get back to being as close to the MVP player he was just a few short years ago and hopefully enjoy the remaining years he has in the league. He’s given as much, if not more, than the fans of the team expect yet the constant reminder is that he’s not given them a championship. Sadly, that’s what causes those that watch him to fail to recognize the true greatness of the player when he’s on the court.
With the recovery and his hopeful return to the court at some point this year, the hopes and dreams of an NBA title will again be thrust upon his shoulders, while everyone is again questioning the makeup of the team that surrounds him. For Embiid, it will be on his terms, and he’s hoping to get the Sixers to where they and he have wanted to be for so many years. Whether he’s able to or the team is capable of that remains to be seen, but the appreciation for what he’s given shouldn’t be forgotten.
