Can Joel Embiid lead the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA title? - ESPN

Do you remember 'The Process'? Joel Embiid, the centerpiece of the 76ers, has already won his first MVP and his second scoring title. But it remains to be seen if he can bring complete happiness to Philadelphia.

---

Joel Embiid did it all in 2022-23, except lead his team to a championship.

The Philadelphia 76ers' center won the Most Valuable Player award, was the scoring champion, and guided his team to a record of 54-28, third in the Eastern Conference, only to fall in seven up-and-down games in the second round against the Boston Celtics.

The loss to Boston extended Embiid's string of frustrations: in the seven seasons he has been in the League, he has reached the playoffs in six, but has never made it past the second round. And with James Harden in the midst of a dispute with team president Daryl Morey, there are no reasons to think that things will go better in 2023-24, unless he finds the right help.

Can we still trust 'The Process'? Is Embiid capable of bringing complete happiness to the fans of the City of Brotherly Love? Here, our experts weigh in.

1 - What is Joel Embiid's main challenge this season?

After winning the MVP award, the logical step in Embiid's career would be to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a championship; however, it seems that next season things will not be so straightforward for the franchise that has been making headlines in recent days thanks to James Harden, whose future with the team seems uncertain.

There lies the challenge for the reigning Most Valuable Player, to convince 'The Beard' to build a good team together and be the face of the Sixers who may not have enough to be a contender in the East if their stars do not carry the team and if the front office does not manage to bring in another caliber player to accompany their power duo. -- Rolando del Bosque

2- A key number or statistic for Joel Embiid for the upcoming season.

33.1. The points per game for Embiid last season. According to ESPN Stats, it's the highest for a center since Bob McCadoo (34.5 PPG) in 1974-75. With that average, the Sixers' center won his second consecutive scoring title. In 2023-24, he aims to become the fifth player to win three consecutive scoring titles since the merger of the ABA and the NBA. The others who have achieved this are Michael Jordan (twice), George Gervin, Kevin Durant, and James Harden.

In 2021-22, Embiid achieved the second-lowest average of field goal attempts per game (19.6) for a scoring champion who averaged 30.0 per game or more. Only Adrian Dantley surpasses him, with 30.6 PPG on 18.3 field goal attempts per game in 1983-84. In 2022-23, he set a new category by achieving the lowest average of field goal attempts per game (20.1) in NBA history for a player who averaged 33.0 points per game or more. The second-lowest in that group is James Harden with 22.3 field goal attempts in 2019-20. In any league, anywhere, that's called efficiency. -- Hiram Martínez

What does Joel Embiid lack to lead the 76ers to an NBA championship?

In essence, what Joel Embiid lacks is leadership and resolution in crucial moments. He had an excellent regular season, which allowed him to win the MVP trophy, but in the playoffs, especially in the series against the Boston Celtics, he needed perhaps too much help from James Harden and Tyrese Maxey for the Sixers to be up to the task and not crumble. In fact, P.J. Tucker's call for Embiid to wake up in the fourth game of the series was interesting to see and carried multiple meanings in the eyes of the world.

Embiid was obsessed with winning the Most Valuable Player award and he did it. But in my opinion, there was a subsequent relaxation that prevented Philadelphia from aspiring to more than just the second round of the postseason. Does the Cameroonian big man have what it takes to win a championship? Today, it seems that this recipe is missing an ingredient. But of course, with 29 years on his identification document, he still has time to find it. -- Bruno Altieri