There's a widely understood concept among basketball fans that goes something like this: if a present-day player is doing something statistically that hasn't been accomplished since Wilt Chamberlain did it, he's doing something absolutely outrageous and we need to stop and pause to talk about it.
This is where we've arrived with Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. Embiid is the reigning NBA MVP, coming off of a career-best season where he averaged 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. Amazingly, Embiid actually appears to have improved from last year, showing a greater command of the game than he ever has. In Embiid's 22 games so far this season, the Sixers are 18-4 and Embiid is averaging 34 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks per game. And here's the bonkers Chamberlain-esque territory Embiid finds himself in… over a quarter of the way through the season, Embiid has more points scored than minutes played. And while that certainly sounds crazy on the surface, here's where it becomes even crazier:
“The only player in NBA history to have more points than minutes played in a season (>1,000 pts) is Wilt Chamberlain’s 1961-62 season.” (h/t Dan Roche of NBC Sports Philadelphia)
In 11 of 22 games Embiid has played this season, he's scored more points than he played minutes in a game. This includes the last six games — all Sixers wins — where Embiid is averaging 40 points per game in only 32 minutes per contest.
Now of course, we can find ways to explain this away that would discredit Embiid's sheer dominance — like noting that Philadelphia is playing at a faster pace than they did last year, Embiid's usage rate is up slightly, or that those last six wins have come against Washington (x2), Detroit (x2), Atlanta, and Charlotte. But what fun is that? How about instead, we just sit back and enjoy what this is… a superstar ascending before our very eyes.
Joel Embiid has long been considered to be one of the league's two best big men, but similar to how we watched Nikola Jokic elevate himself to a completely new tier last year, it feels like Embiid is not far behind. Jokic's status was solidified with a title, and that's likely what Embiid and the Sixers will need to do before he starts getting discussed as one of the best centers in NBA history. But the quality of his play already qualifies him to be included in that discussion. At this point, what separates Joel Embiid from Patrick Ewing besides one NBA Finals appearance? Or from what the public perception of David Robinson was before Tim Duncan came along and netted Robinson two NBA Titles? Sure, Embiid has had some disappointing Playoff flameouts, and he's famously never been able to take the 76ers beyond the 2nd Round, but at what point are we going to realize that it's a little unfair to put all of the blame on the singular generational talent who emerged from The Process in Philadelphia?
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