Last season, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid finally realized his immense potential and won his first regular season NBA MVP award while putting up some fantastic numbers. He has put on some encore this season, at least so far.
He’s averaging 34.6 points, which leads the NBA, 11.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.0 blocked shots per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from 3-point range. Thanks to him, the 76ers have surpassed some expectations by reaching a 23-12 record, the third-best in the Eastern Conference.
However, Embiid, who has a history of knee problems, missed his team’s last game with knee swelling, and overall, he has sat out six of Philly’s last eight games after sitting out Wednesday’s road matchup against the Atlanta Hawks.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
As one Twitter account pointed out, if he doesn’t get well soon, it could get to the point where he won’t appear in enough games to qualify for this season’s MVP.
For this season, the league has adopted a new rule that players must appear in at least 65 regular season games or play in 62 games before suffering a season-ending injury to be eligible for specific individual honors, including the MVP award. It is generally believed this rule was passed in order to dissuade players from sitting out of games when healthy enough to play due to “load management.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
Embiid’s injury history is enough to cause Sixers fans to squirm whenever he falls to the ground during a game and suffer elevated blood pressure when he’s out with any seemingly minor ailment. He has never played in as many as 70 games in a single season, although he did suit up for 66 last season and 68 the year before.
