76 people regret it? Can 31-year-old Embiid return to his peak?

The situation about Embiid is a bit not very good.

Recently, ClutchPoints reporter Brett Siegel wrote an article and talked about Embiid and the 76ers. The main views are as follows:

1. Regarding Embiid's situation, the general saying of the league sources is that the situation is bad and his knees may never be able to return to 100% status;

2, the 76ers expect him to participate in the team training camp healthy, but the source revealed that the rest of the league did not believe that this would come true;

3. Although the 76ers remained optimistic about Embiid, the league Others in the league do not have the same idea. Many people have compared Embiid's knee problem with Leonard's knee problem;

4. A team doctor from an NBA team said that few players can return to the court after multiple surgeries and injuries in the same part, and Embiid is facing such a problem;

5. Last year, the 76ers renewed Embiid early for US$183 million for three years. An Eastern Conference team executive revealed that the 76ers have begun to regret this contract renewal.

Here, I might as well give you a brief review of Embiid's past two years:

—2022-23 season, elected as the regular season MVP+ scoring leader. Although his playoffs were not performed well, Embiid's performance in the regular season was indeed excellent enough that year. In addition, Jokic deliberately paddled at the end of the season, this MVP deserved. At the same time, this is also the highest bright season of Embiid's career

—2023-24 season, he suffered a tear on the lateral meniscus of his left knee in the middle of the season and underwent surgery. He only played 39 games in total, but his performance in the game was very explosive, with an average of 34.7 points per game in the regular season, and he has also been 70 points in a single game and 50 points in a single game in the playoffs. This season is still MVP level - in the 2024 offseason, he represented the US men's basketball team in the Olympics and successfully won gold. However, throughout the Olympics, Embiid's knee has never been very healthy. The 2024-25 season, due to repeated swelling and pain in the knees, Embiid started off and played indefinitely, and he only played 19 games and was reimbursed. His performance dropped significantly this year, and he averaged only 23.8 points per game, which was nearly 11 points less than the previous year. Speaking of injuries last season, there are some stories here.

Although Embiid's knees have been swollen repeatedly, the 76ers do not think that he needs surgery, but just let Embiid rest and wait until it improves slightly before playing, and then rest and wait for the next improvement.

Empert has been dealing with injuries in the first half of the season as a 76ers, but in February, Embiid could no longer bear it. After the game against the Bucks, he told ESPN reporters that he needed another surgery without notifying the team. This action also surprised the 76ers management.

Regarding this part of the story, the ESPN reporter described it in the offseason: "If you don't want to listen to me, then I have to find another way to make sure that someone can hear me. Embiid told me (reporter) that he was actually asking for help when he said he needed surgery."

and, in the same report, Batum once commented on Embiid: "I see his knees after every game, and I have no idea how he can still walk."

, you can see two very obvious points.

First, Embiid's knee condition is really not optimistic. Considering his injury history, if you want to return to the MVP state two years ago in the future, to be honest, the possibility is very low. It should be noted that Embiid will be 32 years old in March next year. After this age, it will basically slowly decline.

Second, there are definitely some contradictions between the 76ers' management and Embiid. At least in the face of injuries, the two sides' handling methods were completely different. In the end, the 76ers chose to compromise with Embiid, but the result of the surgery may also lead to the 76ers' management regretting the big contract with Embiid.

Speaking of this contract, there are actually some confusing things.

In the summer of 2024, Embiid's contract has two years left, but the 76ers are anxious to give him a three-year maximum salary renewal. Considering his injury history and attendance rate in the previous season, the 76ers can wait another year to renew.

As a comparison, the contract renewal between Leonard, another super giant who was troubled by injuries, and the Clippers was basically one year ahead of schedule. The last contract renewal was even half a year ahead of schedule. Compared with the Clippers' management, the 76ers were a bit too hasty.

It is worth mentioning that the 76ers' operational mistakes in 2024 were not only given Embiid's maximum salary two years in advance, but also signed Paul George with a maximum salary of 212 million in four years - the Clippers were only willing to give 110 million in three years at that time.

Paul George was already 34 years old when he signed the contract. The 76ers naturally knew the risks, but they wanted to gamble on George's peak, which is the first two years of the contract.

However, in the first year of signing a maximum salary, last season, Paul George made a big hit: he played only 41 games, averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, and his real shooting percentage was 54.3%.

The latest news is that due to injury, Paul George will miss the start of the new season training camp and may not participate in the preseason.

Pay attention to this data: Embiid plus Paul George, the total salary in the next three years will be: 107 million, 114 million, and 121 million respectively.

If, if both of them decline permanently, then the present and future of the 76ers will be full of problems. After all, they are two potential historical premium contracts.

Only talk about Embiid. Although he has been criticized for the most miserable MVP, he is really strong in health and is also quite amazing in 2023. But that was already two years ago. Too much has happened in two years. I hope all doubts will be slapped in the face. I hope the Emperor will return healthy next season and prove his worth.