All eyes are on Joel Embiid as the Philadelphia 76ers prepare for another season of hopeful title contention. The Sixers are expecting another huge season out of their man in the middle in 2022-23.
Embiid is entering what will almost certainly be his sixth straight season of being an All-Star. The big man has emerged as one of the top two (at the very least) players in his position and a contender for a top-five player in the league. Expectations are extra high for him after taking home the scoring title last season.
While an MVP would certainly make Philadelphia happy, The Process' focus is on a championship. Before the 2022-23 NBA season tips off with Philadelphia facing the Boston Celtics, here are three bold predictions for Joel Embiid.
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3. Embiid goes for 60 points
As Joel Embiid enters this season with a career high of 50 points, defenses know they are in for a tough night whenever he's on the floor. Scoring explosions will be commonplace for him and a 60-point outing is not out of the question for the Sixers star, one of the most unstoppable players in the league.
There will be no shortage of chances for Embiid to join the 60-point club. He remains the focal point of the offense and has plenty of talented teammates defenses will have to respect. Embiid delivered his first 50-burger last year against the Orlando Magic, which took just 27 minutes, the quickest anyone has ever scored 50 in the shot-clock era. Especially as he generates chemistry with James Harden in the pick-and-roll, Embiid should be able to get more easy shots this year while providing his usual brand of jaw-dropping buckets.
One issue that may slow down any pursuit of a 60-point Embiid game is the playmaking around him. It's not too good outside of Harden, though guys like Maxey and De'Anthony Melton are also smart with the ball. Even though Harden is about as good of a lead playmaker that exists, the Sixers have struggled to feed Embiid on the block before.
Still, Embiid doesn't need a great playmaking crew around him to go off. He actually has more playmaking support than last year, so notching a 60-point game at some time this season is a possibility.
2. Embiid shoots 40 percent from 3-point land
While one big game for Joel Embiid would come as no surprise, another big step in his development may. Not many flaws exist for him to notably improve upon. One area that he has down pat is 3-point shooting. After two strong seasons of shooting beyond the arc, this season could see him reach territory that's very rare for a center: 40 percent from deep.
If Tyrese Maxey takes more of a role as a creator for the offense and Harden looks better than he did last season, Embiid could have more space to fire away from deep. His catch-and-shoot efficiency is very solid and so is his ability to convert pull-up triples. With more space, he could see a bump in his efficiency.
Embiid's shooting abilities are very impressive for any player, not just big men. After two straight seasons of shooting 37 percent from 3 and four straight seasons of shooting over 80 percent from the free-throw line, 40 percent from the arc isn't out of the question. Centers shooting that efficiently from deep is rare, but Embiid has made it clear he's no ordinary player. He may not develop a Karl-Anthony Towns-esque shooting repertoire, but he can absolutely get his 3-point percentage up to 40 percent.
1. Joel Embiid finally wins MVP
Perhaps the boldest prediction is that the MVP voters will finally look Joel Embiid's way. There really isn't much more to prove after last year, when he played remarkable basketball AND stayed healthy for most of the season. The third try might be the charm.
As has already been shown over the last two seasons (and reinforced with these predictions), Embiid is on a special level. What would really help his case is some more team success. The Sixers have a chance at being one of the best teams in the conference. Their revamped defensive personnel, Maxey's emergence as a true star, more time for the team to get acclimated to Harden's play style and The Beard himself bouncing back could allow them to compete for the top seed yet again.
The Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will all be contending for the top spots in the conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers might too after adding a third All-Star. And the Brooklyn Nets have, at least, the talent to be a top team. The Sixers have the personnel to be the conference's top seed once again, even if the competition will be stiff.
It is true that Embiid finished second to Jokic two seasons ago when the Sixers were the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Nuggets' record was only two games worse than theirs, though, which delegitimized the feat. Embiid missing nearly a third of the season was another blemish in the eyes of voters.
If the Sixers post one of the best records in the league and Joel Embiid stays mostly healthy, the path will be clearer than ever before for him to finally take home the MVP.
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