The Philadelphia 76ers entered the season with championship aspirations, but at this point, they’d probably just settle for competent basketball. The latest chapter in their season-long faceplant came Saturday night, when they dropped their seventh straight game in the most Philly way possible—by storming back from 17 down, only to get their souls snatched by Nic Claxton at the buzzer. And where was the franchise player during this thrilling conclusion? Collecting dust on the bench, presumably wondering if there’s a way to cash those game checks without actually stepping on the court.
Joel Embiid—yes, the reigning MVP, the $193 million centerpiece of the franchise—played three quarters of forgettable basketball before Nick Nurse made the executive decision to roll with Guerschon Yabusele instead. That’s right, the same Yabusele who’s better known for throwing chairs in FIBA games than for anything remotely basketball-related in the NBA. But honestly, can you blame Nurse? Embiid delivered a 14-point dud on 5-for-14 shooting, bricked all six of his threes, and moved with the urgency of a guy whose Uber Eats just arrived.
It’s been a season-long struggle for Embiid, whose left knee might as well be held together with Scotch tape and good intentions at this point. He’s played in just 19 of Philly’s 56 games—an impressive stat if you’re aiming for PTO Hall of Fame status but not exactly ideal for the guy who was supposed to lead this team to glory. And while Embiid claims he needs to “fix the problem” in his knee before returning to MVP form, one has to wonder if the real problem isn’t just a chronic case of Load Management Syndrome.
Meanwhile, Paul George—who has his own injury history but at least pretends to fight through it—offered some unsolicited but valid advice: get some damn reps in. “The best thing for it is reps,” George said, in a statement that might as well have been subtitled this guy needs to actually play basketball.
The real kicker? Embiid didn’t even bother to address the media after the game. Nothing says “leadership” like going radio silent after watching your team fall apart from the comfort of the bench. But hey, who needs to answer questions when you can let your max contract do the talking?
Of course, Nick Nurse tried to soften the optics by saying the lineup that finished the game was playing well, so he let them cook. Translation: I trusted Nic Batum’s corpse and Guerschon Yabusele’s FIBA highlight reel more than my supposed franchise cornerstone. A grim reality for the Sixers, but a hilarious one for the rest of the league.
And look, nobody’s questioning Embiid’s talent—when he’s healthy and engaged, he’s a monster. But at what point do the Sixers start wondering if they backed the wrong horse? Between the injuries, the conditioning concerns, and the tendency to disappear in big moments, the Embiid Experience is looking less like an MVP reign and more like a very expensive disappearing act.
So here we are—another wasted season in Philly, another early playoff exit incoming, and another round of “what ifs” surrounding a superstar who seems permanently stuck in maybe next year mode. But hey, at least the Eagles exist, right?
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