JoelEmbiid

Preseason question: It’s one of the most dispiriting and important questions that must be asked before every NBA season: Is this the year Embiid stays healthy enough to make it through several grueling rounds of playoff basketball? Can he run up and down the floor, stay mobile defending high pick-and-rolls, rebound, protect the rim, consistently identify double teams and make the correct pass to punish them, and have enough stamina to score efficiently at all three levels? The other question that really matters about Embiid—now that he’s on a team with LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, and Tyrese Maxey—is will he accept a tapered role that sacrifices shots, touches, and so much of what made him an MVP in the first place? It’s a catch-22. Embiid needs time to develop chemistry with what essentially amounts to a completely new team. But in those crucial minutes, he also needs to preserve his body for games that actually matter.