The NBA regular season is nearing its halfway point, with the Eastern and Western Conference standings largely taking shape. In the West, the Thunder are expected to secure the top spot without much competition, while the gap between second-place Rockets and twelfth-place Suns has not been completely closed. The Kings, who were on the brink of collapse, have managed to catch up with the eighth-place Warriors after a five-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Mavericks, who were fourth in the West just half a month ago, have been swallowed up in the chaos following a recent five-game losing streak. If we consider a scenario where Doncic is out for a month and Irving is out for two weeks, the Mavericks could very well drop out of the top ten in the West. On the other hand, the situation in the East is clearer, with the Cavaliers and Celtics, two powerhouse teams, holding onto the first and second spots in the regular season rankings, which are unlikely to change. The Knicks should have no problem securing third place, but Thibodeau's seven-man rotation will likely not hold up through the playoffs.
Additionally, the Magic, despite missing their two core players, are still holding onto a spot in the top four in the East, while the Bucks and Pacers have quietly caught up. However, the 76ers, who were considered one of the favorites to win the East before the season, have only managed a record of 14 wins and 20 losses so far, placing them eleventh in the conference. While they are not far from the play-in threshold (only two games behind tenth-place Bulls) and only 3.5 games behind sixth-place Pacers, the team seems to have no hope even if they make the playoffs. According to Philadelphia media, in less than three months, the team's performance has confirmed the failure of the management's offseason operations; they spent a lot of money but have been in a free fall. It is clear that Paul George's athletic ability has significantly declined, but perhaps Embiid should really retire.
Let's start with some statistics. This season, when Embiid plays, the 76ers have a record of 7 wins and 6 losses; when he doesn't play, their record drops to 7 wins and 14 losses. In the last five games that Embiid has played, he has averaged an impressive 30.4 points and 9.8 rebounds, with shooting percentages of 50% and 56.3%. During this period, only Alexander, Jokic, and Brunson have scored more than Embiid, who was even nominated for Eastern Conference Player of the Week. However, what is unbearable is his attendance, or rather, his injuries! After helping the US men's basketball team win the Olympics, Embiid has been nursing a knee inflammation issue, missing training camp and preseason games. When he was finally able to return, he was suspended for three games for shoving a reporter. He had only played a few games before suffering a sinus fracture!
During the Christmas period, Embiid accidentally stepped on a female staff member at the sidelines during a three-point shooting practice, twisting his right ankle. He didn't play many games before twisting his left ankle again! This doesn't even include the back-to-back games he simply didn't play, as he himself said, "I'm a strange person, maybe I can play back-to-back in the future." But can he maintain a basic level of health? American media has even produced a compilation of Embiid falling down in various ways: against the Jazz, he collapsed sideways due to weak legs without any contact from the opponent, then immediately protested to the referee. Against the Spurs, he fell to the ground while pushing against Wembanyama and was furious after being called for an offensive foul. Against the Bulls, Embiid fell down first after a mid-range jump shot, leaving his opponents stunned.
At the end of the day, Embiid is too soft on the court. This season, he averages 24.4 points, with an interior scoring rate of just over 40%, a rebound rate of 13.7%, and an effective field goal percentage of 48.9%, all of which are the lowest among starting centers in the league's 30 teams. He has always wanted to be like Jokic in terms of playmaking and organization, and like Durant in hitting various impossible jump shots, but instead lost his dominance! Including his playing style and some dribbling, his knees and ankles simply cannot support him to play like this. Embiid is slowly becoming disliked by the entire league. Howard said that Embiid is the hardest player to defend because he flops. O'Neal and Garnett have also criticized Embiid, believing that his approach of resting in back-to-back games is not that of a leader, and that he always relies on jump shots!
Legendary former star Vince Carter has also stated bluntly that sometimes Embiid's words and actions are like those of a child, not caring about the team at all. Even the leak in the 76ers' locker room, according to American media, was because some people were dissatisfied with Embiid, not just Maxi! The most embarrassing part is when American media listed some trade scenarios involving Embiid, the Philadelphia media even participated in the discussion, but according to famous journalist Amick, the 76ers hope that if they trade away Embiid, they should at least get back draft picks worth five first-round picks. But no one in the entire league cares! Even coach Nurse has repeatedly expressed that he hopes the team can maintain a complete state, rather than having people coming and going, disrupting the team's balance.
Embiid is not very willing to communicate proactively! From his temperament and character, to his physical condition, and then to his professional attitude, Embiid is indeed very incompetent as a core player. He can score points in the regular season, but since leaving Harden, Embiid has even lost the continuity of scoring, like a piece of glass that breaks upon touch! How long can he hold on? That MVP trophy was taken from Jokic, but it actually proved Jokic's value, not Embiid's! Perhaps Embiid should really retire, stop torturing himself, and stop torturing the team.
