The Philadelphia 76ers are currently preparing for the stretch run of the season, which will begin on Thursday night vs the Atlanta Hawks at home. Unfortunately, big man Joel Embiid has already been ruled out for that game due to a shin ailment, which is compounded by his already tenuous knee situation.
Embiid has started to look more like the prime version of himself in recent weeks, hoping to recapture the form of the MVP award he won in 2022-23. Recently, the big man got 100% real on something he would trade that accolade for.
“I would honestly trade this MVP just for one healthy postseason run,” Embiid told NBA trainer Drew Hanlen, per Legion Hoops and Sideline Sources on Instagram.
Health has been a major concern for Embiid over the years, as the star has frequently gone down with or been severely limited by injuries at the worst possible time.
Embiid has largely been supplanted by young star guard Tyrese Maxey as the face of the franchise in Philadelphia, but if he were to look somewhat like hte primse version of himself in the postseason, the 76ers would be an opponent that no one would want to face off against.
Last year, the 76ers did not make it to the playoffs, largely falling apart from a health perspective down the stretch of the season, and the year prior, they were eliminated in the first round by the New York Knicks, with Embiid clearly not being anywhere close to 100% during that series.
Making matters worse in the short term for Philadelphia is the fact that Paul George is out for a few more weeks as he serves his league suspension.
However, for now, the 76ers are just hoping to have everyone in one piece by the time the playoffs roll around.
Tipoff vs the Hawks is set for 7:00 pm ET from Philadelphia.
