5 Major Reasons Why Joel Embiid Is One Of The Worst Superstar Performers In Playoff History

Superstar center Joel Embiid is building a Hall of Fame resume when looking at his regular season achievements. He has an MVP award, two scoring titles, seven All-Star selections, and five All-NBA Team selections to go along with three All-Defensive selections. While his resume is looking more impressive by the season, his playoff resume has yet to impress and we have to look at the main reasons why he has to be one of the worst superstar performers in playoff history.

A Debilitating Injury History

Joel Embiid, one of the NBA's most dominant players when healthy, has faced a significant hurdle throughout his career: a debilitating injury history. Embiid's inability to maintain consistent health during the regular season is alarming. In his career, he has only played at least 65 games twice. The importance of a player of Embiid's caliber being available on a consistent basis cannot be overstated. His sporadic availability puts a strain on the Philadelphia 76ers' ability to build team chemistry and develop a rhythm throughout the season.

Embiid's injury woes have been particularly pronounced in the playoffs:

2018: Suffered an orbital fracture, which undoubtedly affected his vision and overall play.

2019: Dealt with knee tendinitis, which limited his mobility and effectiveness on the court.

2021: Tore his meniscus, a serious knee injury that severely impacted his mobility and performance.

2022: Faced multiple injuries including an orbital fracture, concussion, and torn thumb ligament, which undoubtedly affected his play and ability to perform at his best.

2023: Suffered a knee sprain that significantly impacted his series against the Celtics.

While injuries are an unfortunate part of sports and cannot be entirely blamed on a player, Embiid's consistent struggles with health have undeniably let down the 76ers, especially during crucial playoff moments. A player of his caliber is expected to be a cornerstone for his team, particularly in high-stakes playoff scenarios. However, his injuries have often left the 76ers without their primary scoring threat and defensive anchor, significantly diminishing their chances of success year after year.

Outshined By His Competition

Nikola Jokic, Embiid's main rival for the title of the NBA's best center, has undeniably outperformed Embiid in terms of individual accolades and team success. Jokic has earned two MVP awards, and possibly a third this year, a feat that would place him among the all-time greats. Moreover, he led the Denver Nuggets to an NBA title and secured the Finals MVP award in the previous year along with having two Conference Finals appearances to his name.

Embiid has had the benefit of playing alongside multiple All-Stars, such as Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, and James Harden during his tenure with the 76ers. Despite this, the 76ers have failed to advance beyond the Eastern Conference Semifinals, highlighting Embiid's inability to elevate his team to greater postseason success.

Anthony Davis, a member of the 75th Anniversary Team and another of Embiid's competitors for the title of the NBA's best big man, has also surpassed Embiid in terms of postseason achievements. Davis played a pivotal role in leading the Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA title in 2020 and has made two Conference Finals appearances (2020 and 2023).

While Joel Embiid is undoubtedly a dominant force in the NBA when healthy, he has been outperformed by his main rivals, Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis, in terms of individual awards and postseason success.

Poor Performances In Playoff Games He Needs To Win

Joel Embiid has not come through in some of the biggest playoff games of his career which is why he is the only NBA MVP to not advance past the Conference Semifinal round in his career. Throughout NBA history, only Steve Nash and Derrick Rose haven't played in the NBA Finals, but they at least competed in the Conference Finals. Last year, Embiid’s level dropped significantly despite being the regular season MVP.

The center averaged 33.1 points per game during the regular season but in the playoffs, his point average dropped to 23.7 in the postseason. According to ESPN Stats & Info, it is the biggest scoring average dropoff (-9.4) by an MVP in the league's history. That simply isn’t a good look for one of the best players in the game, even if he hasn’t been fully healthy in almost every postseason run. To make matters worse, Embiid was poor in Game 6 and Game 7 against the Boston Celtics last year. Despite being up 3-2, Embiid was unable to close the deal in Game 6 and had 15 points on 5-18 shooting in the pivotal Game 7.

Even looking back to the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks, Embiid wasn’t at his peak in the critical Game 6 and Game 7. He shot 9/24 from the floor in Game 6 and had an alarming eight turnovers. He followed that up with a solid shooting night (11/21) to score 31 points but had eight turnovers once again. 

Going back further to 2019 against the Toronto Raptors, Embiid was poor in Game 6 by shooting 5-14 with five turnovers and then went 6-18 with four turnovers in Game 7. Anytime Embiid has been needed by the 76ers in the biggest postseason games, he just hasn’t come through as often as we would expect and might be a superstar in the regular season.

10 Seasons In The NBA Without A Finals Appearance

In the NBA, the greatest players are often measured by their ability to lead their teams to the Finals. Despite being a supermax player and the face of the iconic Philadelphia 76ers franchise, Joel Embiid has yet to make a Finals appearance in his 10-season NBA career. This is a significant gap in his resume, especially given his age of 30 years old.

Embiid has had the benefit of playing alongside several talented players throughout his career, including Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, James Harden, Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, and JJ Redick. Additionally, he has been coached by experienced and successful coaches such as Doc Rivers, Brett Brown, and Nick Nurse. With this level of talent and coaching support, there seems to be no valid excuse for Embiid's failure to reach the Finals, particularly in the 2024 season where he has All-Star and Most Improved Player Tyrese Maxey and third option Tobias Harris by his side.

When judging Joel Embiid's career, it is crucial to compare him to his peers. One such comparison is Carmelo Anthony, a highly talented and respected player who has faced criticism for his inability to lead his teams deep into the playoffs. Embiid's failure to make a Conference Finals puts him in a similar category as Carmelo Anthony in terms of postseason criticism.

Failure To Take Advantage Of Superstar Teammates

As mentioned before, Embiid has not been able to take advantage of the presence of All-Star teammates and some excellent role players. Under coach Brett Brown, Embiid shuffled through stars such as Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris while JJ Redick was an elite sharpshooter. The furthest Embiid got was the second round of the playoffs. That is enough talent to get over the hump and fingers have to be pointed at Embiid first.

Under Doc Rivers, Embiid has had James Harden and Tyrese Maxey to go along with Tobias Harris and only made the second round of the playoffs again. Under Nick Nurse, Embiid’s team is not as stacked as before but Tyrese Maxey has become an All-Star and Tobias Harris is still on the team. Currently, they are down 0-2 against the New York Knicks who do not have Julius Randle. Without Randle, Embiid needs to dominate the series but that has not led to wins in the series yet.

Embiid has played with enough talent to at least a Conference Finals but he hasn’t gotten there. As the only MVP winner in history without a Conference Finals appearance, it has to be unfortunately said that the center is one of the worst superstar playoff performers in history. Until he can correct that image, Embiid is on a path to criticism faced by some other all-time greats such as Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady.