Joel Embiid has accomplished more than most NBA players could ever dream of through his career. Winning an MVP award, multiple scoring titles, and cementing himself as one of the greatest centers to ever touch a basketball. At his best, he looks like the most dominant player in the league, capable of carrying a team to great heights.
Embiid’s best, however, has not been on display as often as anyone would hope. It seems whenever he is reaching a new level in skill, another injury interrupts his momentum. Now, that is what his career is defined by. It is not “Embiid is one of the best centers of all-time”, it is “Embiid can’t stay healthy, he’ll never win anything”. This discourse around one of the league’s best raises a significant question. Is Embiid the biggest “what-if” in NBA history?
Embiid played his college ball at the University of Kansas under Head Coach Bill Self. His one season was a dominant one, but one that saw his draft stock fluctuate in a major way. He, at one point, was the consensus number one overall pick in the 2014 draft. Concerns emerged regarding his inability to stay on the court, whether it was injuries or foul trouble.
Still, Embiid finished his freshman season with impressive accomplishments. He earned an All-Big 12 appearance and won the Big-12 DPOY. His stats were 11/8/1, with great defensive numbers. Embiid put up great stats per-40 minutes: 20ppg and 4.5blk.
Embiid’s draft profile was filled with the same things that are mentioned today. He was a prospect with immense talent who had so much room to grow. The one weakness, however, is once again the injuries. His draft comparisons put his skill level in perspective: Tim Duncan and Hakeem Olajuwon. One pre-draft report put it perfectly:
The Philadelphia 76ers drafted Embiid 3rd overall in the 2014 draft. A few weeks prior to the draft, it was discovered he suffered a stress fracture in his right foot. He ended up having surgery, inserting two screws, and costing him his rookie season. During routine check-ups, the medical staff grew concerned over the lack of progress and healing.
Embiid required a second surgery after CT scans found the navicular bone was not recovering properly. He had successful surgery on August 18th, 2015, where they replaced the screws and performed a bone graft using bone from his hip. Now, he has lost his first two NBA seasons due to an injury originally suffered before being drafted.
Embiid made his official NBA debut on opening night in 2016. He played 31 games in his rookie season, averaging 20/8/2. His season was prematurely ended after suffering a torn meniscus in January. The next season was his first “full” NBA season. He played 63 games and earned an all-star appearance, along with a second-place DPOY finish.
Embiid began fulfilling his true potential in the 2020-21 season. He played 51 games, averaging 28.5/10.6/2.8 and finishing runner-up in MVP voting. He continues this pace over the next two seasons.
Embiid had his two most durable seasons of his career (68 games, 66 games), and they were easily his most successful. He won back-to-back scoring titles, finishing runner-up in MVP (2021-22), and winning the MVP award in 2022-23. He averaged 30.6/11.7/4.2 in his second runner-up season and 33.1/10.2/4.2 in his MVP-winning season.
Embiid was consistently putting up some of the craziest numbers seen this entire generation. No one could stop him at the peak of his powers. The only thing that could stop him was his body, and it did just that.
Embiid winning MVP brought concerns amongst fans and the league. They did not believe a player should be eligible to win awards if they were being load-managed or not playing enough games. This led to them implementing a 65-game minimum rule for all end of season awards.
Embiid obviously wanted to claim more hardware, so despite dealing with lingering issues, he played through injuries the following season. At one point, he was stumbling around the court with the inability to jump at all. The worst example was a game against the Golden State Warriors. It was genuinely hard to watch his body failing him in front of our very eyes.
In that same game, Embiid dove for a loose ball. During the scrum, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga fell onto Embiid’s knees, clearly injuring the reigning MVP. He was diagnosed with a torn meniscus, taking him out for months. Still, he rushed back for his team in the playoffs.
Embiid was playing on one leg against the New York Knicks during their playoff series. Just when you think it can’t get worse, it does. He was suffering through Bells Palsy that same series, trying to hide his face during every media interaction.
The 2024 season began the trend of constant load management as the team tried to get him healthy for a playoff run. He played 19 games through the toughest year of his career. On February 25th 2025, Philadelphia announced that Embiid was medically unable to play and would miss the remainder of the season. This began fan speculation of whether or not he should even continue playing NBA basketball.
Embiid repeated a similar load management pattern this past season, playing just 38 games. This was looking like a promising season health-wise. That, of course, didn’t last, as another freak injury popped up at the worst possible time. He had to have an emergency appendicitis surgery just weeks before the NBA playoffs.
Embiid has already built up a legacy that any NBA player would wish for. His accomplishments on paper put him above the legends of the sport. With that being said, imagine if we got to see him at the peak of his powers.
The answer to the question is simple: Yes. Joel Embiid is the biggest what-if in NBA history. “What if we saw Embiid have a healthy NBA career?” It can only be assumed, but the assumptions that can be made are historic. This isn’t just “maybe he could’ve won another MVP”. He would be entering conversations for one of the greatest and most skilled players of all-time.
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