Over the past two seasons, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has cemented himself on the upper echelon of NBA superstars. The All-Star center was the runner-up for MVP in 2021, and following his dominant stretch over the last month, is right back in the conversation. While Embiid's game has reached other-worldly heights, the path to superstardom was far from easy for him.
Early in his career, many wondered if Embiid would even suit up in an NBA game. Injuries derailed his first two years as a pro and had many comparing him to the likes of Greg Oden. Even when his playing days started, the injury bug continued to take a toll on Embiid.
With each passing season, Joel Embiid has slowly gotten rid of the “injury-prone” label that is held over him. Following the Sixers' win over the Orlando Magic last week, he opened up on the wake-up call that led to his increased effort to improve his physical condition.
“It goes back to two summers ago. Before last year, when I really decided to work out every day. My body, working with the nutritionist, having a team to try and figure out the best way my body needed to be. But I didn't lose any weight. We just changed a bunch of stuff, especially when it came to what I was eating. The goal was to make sure my body felt great and to be able to be available every single game,” said Joel Embiid.
Embiid also cited getting swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2020 playoffs as a major catalyst in putting more work into his body.
“We had just lost in the first round. We got swept. The bubble was not a great experience. Not having a good season, I was extremely disrespected. Especially when it came to All-NBA stuff. It just felt like between Drew [Hanlen], my trainer, and nutritionist decided we needed to make sure I felt great about my body and also about my game. I also saw it as an opportunity to actually make use of the talent that I had,” Embiid said Wednesday.
Putting a major focus on nutrition and health has done wonders for Embiid. He is in the best shape of his career, and it opened up the door for his game to reach new heights.
Situations like this are why organizations shouldn't give up on young prospects too soon. Sometimes it takes hardship and things not going right for a player to understand what needs to be done. The massive change we've seen from Joel Embiid is a testament to his growth in maturity and desire for greatness.
While coming up short for years wasn't great in the moment, it was essential for Embiid to take the necessary steps towards becoming the generational talent he is today.
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