Joel Embiid finally won an MVP this year. But he’s also fighting a knee injury in the second round.
Joel Embiid got 72 out of 100 first-place votes for MVP in a year where he led the league in scoring with 33.1 points per game. He played 66 games, including 32 out of 35 in one stretch, before sitting out the last two games.
Joel Embiid was playing hard, too, notching games of 52 and 46 points in the final three weeks, and playing more than 44 minutes in another.
While the effort answered questions about Embiid’s durability that have dogged his previous MVP campaigns – Embiid finished second after playing just 51 games in 2020-21 – it might have worn him down for the playoffs.
Philadelphia’s big man is averaging 18.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and three assists in the playoffs, down from his regular-season averages of 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists. It’s the biggest scoring dropoff (14.3 points) of anyone in the playoffs this year.
Most of that damage is coming from the free-throw line, as Embiid has made more free throws (30) than field goals (22). He’s also turning the ball over 4.5 times per game.
Joel Embiid suffered an LCL sprain in Game 3 of the 76ers’ first-round series. Based on Embiid’s comments, it was a Grade 3 sprain, which generally carries a recovery time of four to six weeks.
