Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid finds himself squarely in the middle of the MVP race, thanks mostly to a rigorous offseason training program.

Embiid's personal trainer, Drew Hanlen, and Sixers player development coach Chris Babcock devised a workout regimen whereby Embiid would take film study to the hardwood.

The star center would work on individual move sets in the half court before executing the same move in a back-and-forth between both ends of the floor. Hanlen and Babcock also tested Embiid's conditioning, working in sprints and playing full-court against assistant coaches.

Hanlen hinted he received a strong talking to from Sixers staff, but Embiid was determined to put in the work:

“We’d basically go until he passed out,” Hanlen said, via Yaron Weitzman of FiveThirtyEight. “Sometimes I was getting, not yelled at, but told we were overloading a little bit. But he was the one that kept telling us to keep going.”

Hanlen said the team unlocked a crucial part of Embiid's effectiveness and conditioning: his posture.

Embiid's trainer explained when he gets his hips lower, the 26-year-old can be more explosive and finishing through contact and staying in the shooting pocket:

“It’s not just being able to run for a longer period of time,” Hanlen said of the Sixers big, via Weitzman. “It’s more that he’s in a better position to do the things that make him such a great player. He’s able to stay in that posture throughout the game.”

The subtle changes have seemed to make a big difference.

Joel Embiid is averaging a career-high 29.3 points per game, including 11.3 free-throw attempts per game. He is also showing a greater comfort level dribbling into jumpers, and is shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc. Moreover, the Sixers star continues to be one of the best defensive players in basketball.

Philadelphia is at the top of the Eastern Conference, with Embiid's tireless offseason commitment paying big dividends.