Philadelphia 76ers 2021-22 season in review: Joel Embiid

The Philadelphia 76ers did not end the 2021-22 season the way they wanted to. After acquiring James Harden at the deadline, the Sixers were hoping to put enough around Joel Embiid in order to properly contend for a title.

Instead, they fell in Round 2 for the fourth time in five seasons in six games to the Miami Heat and will be getting ready to try again in the 2022-23 season. A full offseason with Harden should help him integrate with the team and help the Sixers move forward again.

Now, is the time to review the past season and in this edition, Sixers Wire is going to start with the big fella. Embiid delivered an incredible season despite a ton of adversity thrown his way and he stepped up to every challenge, again and again, to be sure the Sixers were in a position to win and contend.

Embiid's 2021-22 season averages

Season highlights

Embiid made a lot of history in the 2021-22 season. His 30.6 points per game average made him the first big man to average 30 points in a single season since Moses Malone in 1982. He also became the first big man to lead the league in scoring since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 as he was just dominant on a nightly basis to ensure the Sixers were in a position to win despite a lot of adversity.

Philadelphia was dealing with the Ben Simmons saga for the majority of the season before he was finally moved for Harden in February, yet the Sixers didn’t fold. That is because Embiid made sure they didn’t fold. Philadelphia was the No. 3 seed going into the All-Star break before Harden even joined the team as the big fella carried them.

Embiid's playoff run

Embiid’s playoff run started off on a resounding note. In Round 1 against the Toronto Raptors, Embiid gave Philadelphia a 3-0 lead as he drilled a fallaway triple in overtime on the road as he quieted some Toronto demons for himself to help the Sixers get it done.

However, he suffered a torn thumb ligament in that game that affected him the rest of the way and then suffered an orbital fracture and a concussion in the Game 6 clincher with the Raptors. That then limited him to just four games against the Heat and the Sixers badly missed him in the first two games of that series.

Due to all of the injuries he sustained, his playoff numbers were down as he averaged just 23.6 points and 10.7 rebounds in the playoffs after such a dominant regular season where he probably should have won MVP. He gets a ton of credit for even being out there against Miami considering those severe injuries he sustained.

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