Joel Embiid’s Decline Could Become a Major Problem for the 76ers

On Friday night, Joel Embiid went without a made field goal for the second time in his career and for the first time in seven years. This isn’t just Embiid's first poor shooting night this year; he’s 0/17 from three in his last six games and shooting a career-low 38% from the field this season.

Many expected a transition period as Embiid adjusted to new teammates Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, but I’m unsure this is just a struggle to fit in. I’m not sure Joel Embiid’s body has much left in the tank.

It’s impossible to talk about Embiid without mentioning the years of injuries that have taken a toll on his body. He’s had three confirmed surgeries on his left knee and is still dealing with cartilage issues since his last surgery in 2025.

When recruiting LeBron this offseason, Embiid claimed he’s healthier than ever going into a season, but it doesn’t look that way on the court. Since their opener against the New York Knicks, Embiid’s defense has been in a steep decline. He looked great in drop coverage in the opener, constantly causing issues on Jalen Brunson drives, while also providing elite contests on lob coverage.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure whether he’s playing through an injury or has simply lost a step, but he’s looked lost on pick-and-roll coverage in the next nine games for the Sixers. Evan Mobley put him in difficult positions all night, forcing him to cover rim threats on lobs and contest Mobley on threes.

You could live with the defensive struggles if he were providing his normal level of offensive gravity, but he wasn’t. He was pushed off the block on multiple switches to James Harden, and let Mobley play way off with bad shots from behind the arc.

Tyrese Maxey turning into a top-10 offensive threat in basketball has hidden a lot of weaknesses on this roster. Philadelphia ranks 20th in the league in three-point percentage at 33.3% and 24th in points at 109.4 a night, yet they still have the best record in basketball through 10 games.

The Sixers' perimeter defense has far exceeded my expectations this season, but I’m not sure how effective their elite pressure will be all season. Philly knew they had a depth problem at center entering this season, and with Adem Bona missing time with injury, Embiid needs to increase his production on both ends of the floor. If his struggles are due to health, then the Sixers need to go improve this roster before the trade deadline.