There are NBA players who work hard and tirelessly at their craft. They hone their game and, in time, carve themselves out a definitive place in the league. But their ceiling is lower to the ground. They’re role players — which is okay — and don’t do much else on the court. They couldn’t, even if they tried. If you ever wanted to find a classic example of “hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard,” these grinders, these glue guys: They’re Exhibit A.
Then there are the gifted players. The talented studs bestowed with rare, natural ability, who grind and sweat and bleed as much as their less-adept teammates. They are talismans, one of the NBA’s few crown jewels featured in every bit of league marketing, who are discussed, broken down, and seen constantly by every central basketball avenue. Throw in a little physical intimidation and strength, and you have the recipe for an ever-consistent hulkish monster. Talent that works hard and crushes the competition in the process.
Hello, Joel Embiid.
The Sixers’ big man — an All-Star starter for the fifth consecutive year — has been on an absolute tear lately. Now, to be clear, that in itself is not a surprise because the perennial MVP candidate is almost always liable to go off. He claims full ownership of the paint, most often without asking. No, the Embiid of late has been different, even by his high standards. He’s been an unstoppable force grounding every unstoppable object in his path into rubble.
A 40-burger against the Bulls (+4) on Sunday looks to be foreshadowing for this Philadelphia star.
Joel Embiid has scored at least 25 points for his 20th consecutive game.
He joins Allen Iverson (27 straight) as the only players in 76ers history with a 20-game streak of this kind.
The Answer did this during his 2000-01 MVP season. pic.twitter.com/QdmyapuUWS
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 6, 2022
Twenty straight games with at least 25 points. Twenty consecutive games where the opposition knew that Embiid would get the ball at the top of the key or in the low block, and he was going to have his way: More than usual, that is. If Embiid is already notching historic marks of the last Sixer to win an MVP, Allen Iverson, then he probably has the league’s premier individual trophy in the bag.
Tipico Sportsbook currently has the 27-year-old superstar at +220 to win the NBA MVP. At this rate, let’s be candid: That figure seems a low. What also helps Embiid’s case is that amid his high-scoring streak, Philadelphia is 16-4, while ratcheting up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference. It’s one thing to score and get yours, but your team finishes with fewer points than the other on a nightly basis. It’s something else entirely when you are undoubtedly the primary catalyst for your team’s scorching last month and a half in the standings.
The exclusive Big Man fraternity that Embiid continues to show he belongs in might be even more impressive than his MVP credentials. With that 20th straight 25+ point game on Sunday, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) and Wilt Chamberlain (106) have longer streaks as seven-footers. Wilt is on another planet and from a different era, making it unfair to expect Embiid to ever get close to his stratospheric scoring mark, among his other litany records.
But for Kareem? The Hall of Fame gold standard of efficiency and longevity in centers? Embiid can match Mr. Lew Alcindor by the All-Star break next weekend. An unthinkable thought for any Regular Guy, but not Embiid. Not this living, growing legend by the evening.
Even if Embiid falls short en route to unmatched seven-footer glory with Kareem, his all-time post prowess is undeniable.
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