After a rough stretch and major health questions, the Process is back dominating—and it’s lifting the entire Sixers squad.
Going into the 2025-26 season, there were huge question marks hanging over Joel Embiid. He missed most of last year due to knee issues, the same kind of problems that have followed his career. The Sixers’ playoff hopes always seemed to come down to one thing: whether Embiid could stay healthy when it mattered most. Last season was a real disappointment, with injuries derailing things early and often.
But something has shifted this year. It’s like a jolt of energy hit the locker room. The team’s chemistry is the best it’s been in a while—guys are genuinely enjoying playing together, supporting each other, and buying in. Leading the charge? Joel Embiid, who’s playing like an All-Star again.
In his last five games, Embiid is putting up monster numbers:
- 32.4 PPG
- 9.8 RPG
- 5.4 APG
- 50.0% from three
- 88.5% from the free-throw line
- 35.5 MPG
Those stats come on near 50/50/90 shooting splits overall in that stretch, which is ridiculous efficiency for a big man carrying this kind of usage. It’s the kind of production that has Sixers fans everywhere starting to believe again. Social media is blowing up with praise for his knee doctor—Dr. Jonathan Glashow at NYU Langone, who also worked on Kawhi Leonard’s issues and has Kawhi looking revived too. Fans are crediting the surgery and rehab for getting Embiid back to this level.
All-Star bench players haven’t been revealed yet, and while it’s tough to crack the East frontcourt with how stacked it is, Embiid is right there in the conversation. Besides Nikola Jokic, he’s basically the only center averaging over 25 points per game league-wide right now. If he keeps this up, he should be a lock.
With a healthy Embiid leading the way, and Tyrese Maxey playing at an MVP-candidate level next to him, this Sixers team has no real ceiling. The roster mixes young upside with Hall of Fame-caliber vets like Paul George, and the pieces are starting to click. We’re sitting in a solid spot in the standings, and the Eastern Conference looks weaker than usual—especially with stars like Jayson Tatum (Achilles) and Tyrese Haliburton dealing with major injuries that are keeping them sidelined or limited.
The trade deadline is right around the corner, and it’s a must that the Sixers act as buyers. Daryl Morey needs to add the right depth or a missing piece to maximize this win-now window before those other teams get their guys back healthy.
A fully healthy Embiid changes everything. This version of him reminds us why he’s a former MVP and one of the most dominant forces in the league when right.
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