People Fear the Worst as Joel Embiid Disappoints in Season Opener

The Philadelphia 76ers narrowly defeated the Boston Celtics in their season opener. Despite missing Paul George and having Joel Embiid on a minutes limit, the Sixers were able to pull out the victory largely behind the performances of Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe. 

There should be a lot of excitement for Sixers’ fans after the Celtics' win. VJ Edgecombe looked like a budding star, scoring 34 points and grabbing seven rebounds. His performance gave him the record for the third-highest scoring output for an NBA debut.

Maxey also looked incredible. He scored 40 points on 13-of-24 shooting, showing that he is ready to lead the Sixers when they are missing their veteran stars. 

When it comes to their main veteran star, the news wasn’t nearly as positive. Embiid was on a minutes restriction, but looked terrible in his 20 minutes. He scored only four points and had six rebounds while going 1-of-9 from the field and 0-of-4 from three. 

What’s worse than Embiid’s stats was the eye test. Even though Embiid showed some decent flashes during practice and the preseason, his performance against the Celtics confirmed what many were worried about: his knees are absolutely cooked. 

Embiid moved around the court like an old man. He could barely jump, didn’t assert any physical dominance in the paint (he shot nearly half his shots from deep), and didn’t provide any flashes that should give fans optimism about his recovery. 

It may be the end for Embiid. His body just doesn’t look like it can play at a high level any longer. The Sixers need to recognize this and find a way to pivot towards a future led by Maxey and Edgecombe.