Joel Embiid talks staying healthy, playoffs following MVP-caliber performance in Minnesota
I know. The vibes around the Sixers aren’t quite there yet, but they definitely should be after last night’s dominant win in Minnesota.
Joel Embiid and company just won 4-of-5 games on the road to improve to 43-22 on the season. They’re locked in the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference, four games out of first place and just 1.5 games behind the Boston Celtics in second.
Embiid scored 39 points and Tyrese Maxey dropped 27 on Minnesota as the Sixers won 117-94, completing a 4-1 road trip, playing last night without James Harden.
Embiid was incredible, grabbing seven rebounds, four assists, a steal and three blocks to go along with 39 points. He shot 4-of-4 from three point range and connected on all nine of his free throw attempts. Joel is averaging 33.3 points per game, 10.1 rebounds per game, 4.1 assists per game, and 1.6 blocks per game with a true scoring percentage of 64.7%. There you go stat nerds. That’s 33 points per game on 65 percent shooting percentage.
JOEL EMBIID: 39 PTS | 7 REB | 4 AST | 3 BLK
Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on March 8, 2023.
Joel Embiid did all of the above while playing just 28 minutes. I refuse to let the MVP conversation hold much weight this year but for anyone who thinks he’s not the best basketball player in the NBA right now, then maybe it’s time to wake up or pick a new sport to watch because clearly, you know nothing.
After the game, Embiid spoke with Chris Haynes and was all smiles, talking about his excitement for the playoffs, feeling good, and staying healthy over the final stretch of the season.
Joel Embiid on Health, Sixers Playoffs
“I’m excited about the playoffs. That’s when, y’know I feel like, y’know, I feel good. I feel good about myself and my team.”
Say no more, big fella. As anyone who watches the Sixers knows, health has been and will always be the most important factor heading into the NBA playoffs. If you stop and think about it, the Sixers in the post-process years were never really healthy as a team in any of their playoff appearances. I think the city has suffered enough. Embiid and company have clearly put an emphasis on staying healthy so let’s hope all goes as planned and we can finally see what this team is made of come playoff time.
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