Is Joel Embiid Back to MVP Form After 40-Point Night vs. Spurs?

The Sixers lost, but Joel Embiid had a big scoring night. Is the big man getting back to his MVP ways?

Over the last two seasons, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid entered the MVP conversation early on during the season and never left. By the time the NBA revealed the MVP voting results over the last two years, Embiid had finished top two both times.

Going into the 2022-2023 NBA season, many picked Embiid as their favorite to finally take home the award after losing out to Denver’s Nikola Jokic twice. Through the first two games of the 2022-2023 campaign, Embiid did not look like he was ready to re-enter the MVP conversation. 

Against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, Embiid shot 50 percent from the field, scoring 26 points in 37 minutes in Philly’s opening night loss. When playing the Milwaukee Bucks two nights later, Embiid drained just 28 percent of his shots, scoring 15 points in a second-straight loss.

Coming off of hand surgery in the offseason, Embiid’s lack of touch with his shot was understandable to start the season, but it was soon revealed that another health factor played into Embiid’s slow start. Following a film session on Friday, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers revealed that Embiid was battling plantar fasciitis over the offseason.

Therefore, the big man couldn’t work out as he typically would, affecting his conditioning to start the year. When the Sixers hosted the San Antonio Spurs for their third matchup of the season on Saturday night, Embiid looked like he was still amid an uphill battle with his conditioning.

However, his scoring ability reverted to MVP form as he dropped 40 points while draining 56 percent of his shots from the field in the loss against the Spurs. 

“I’m still trying to work my way back,” Embiid said Saturday night. “Coming into training camp, I haven’t done anything for like two months, so it really slowed me down. I’m still trying to work my way back, and hopefully, everything goes back to normal.”

Even a 40-point outing after a slow start to the year didn’t leave the Sixers feeling satisfied. 

“I guess,” said Rivers when asked whether Embiid’s performance was a positive outcome from the game. “We lost the game. Good to see him — I just still think we have to play with more force as a team.”

“I’m not playing at my best, and we’re not winning,” said Embiid. “Tonight was a start, but we gotta find how to win, and I need to play better.”

The Sixers dropped Saturday’s game with a nine-point loss to the rebuilding Spurs. They’re now 0-3 to start the season. While it’s just the beginning of a long year, Embiid and the Sixers do not look ready to enter the Eastern Conference Championship contender level yet, and the big man still has a long way to go before he's back in MVP form. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.