How will Joel Embiid’s inability to a complete an injury-free season affect his NBA legacy?

How will Joel Embiid be remembered should he fail to return to his All-NBA form?

Will we recognize the 76ers center as one of the NBA’s most dominant scorers? Or will we recall him as someone who failed to live up to his extraordinary potential because he couldn’t complete an injury-free season?

The latter is as much a part of his legacy as having the fourth-best scoring average (27.7 points per game) in NBA history among players who’ve appeared in more than 400 games, behind Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain and Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić.

Unfortunately for Embiid, the number of games he has missed (407) is close to games played (452). And he’s only played in 19 games this season while struggling to gain full strength in his left knee after undergoing meniscus surgery last February. That surgery and other ailments limited Embiid’s 2023-24 season to 39 games.

Now, the Sixers are working with medical experts to determine the treatment plan. In a statement, the team said it “and specialists will continue working with Joel to ensure the best path forward for his long-term health and performance.”

The Sixers have a lot invested in the 2023 NBA MVP’s future. Embiid, who turns 31 on March 16, has four years and $248.1 million remaining on his contract after signing a three-year extension in September.

The new agreement will swell his career earnings to $514.8 million, the fourth-most in league history, trailing only LeBron James, Steph Curry, and teammate Paul George.

But so far, Embiid has the distinction of being the only league MVP to never advance beyond the second round of the playoffs. In seven postseason appearances, Embiid lost five times in the second round along with two first-round exits.

Usually on the eve of the playoffs, or during the playoffs themselves, nagging ailments or freakish injuries crop up. Despite that, Embiid has had opportunities to lead the Sixers to the Eastern Conference finals only to struggle in decisive games.

Kawhi Leonard will always be remembered for sinking a four-bounce 15-foot fadeaway jumper at the buzzer to lift Toronto Raptors to a 92-90 victory over the Sixers in Game 7 of their 2019 conference semifinal at the Scotiabank Arena.

Embiid scored 21 points that night, but made just 33.3% of his shots and committed four costly turnovers in the decisive game.

In 2021, Ben Simmons was the scapegoat for passing up a wide-open dunk with 3 minutes, 29 seconds re maining in a 103-96 Game 7 conference semifinal loss to the Atlanta Hawks at the Wells Fargo Center. Matisse Thybulle was also blamed for fouling Kevin Huerter on a three-point attempt with 54 seconds left.

Embiid led the Sixers with 31 points and 11 rebounds, but also committed eight turnovers.

And in 2023, the Boston Celtics defeated the Sixers, 112-88, in Game 7 of the conference semifinals at TD Garden. Embiid shot horribly that game, finishing with just 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting while missing all four of his three-point attempts. He led the Sixers with eight rebounds and two blocks.

Embiid spent most of the game on the perimeter. And the MVP, who played with a sprained lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, looked fatigued.

But Embiid’s 2023-24 season was one of the most prolific individual campaigns in NBA history before he tore the meniscus in his left knee on Jan. 30, 2024.

His highlight came on Jan. 22, 2024, when he finished with a franchise-record 70 points to go along with 18 rebounds and five assists, leading the Sixers to a 133-123 victory over the San Antonio Spurs at the Wells Fargo Center. He surpassed Chamberlain’s previous record of 68 points.

Averaging 35.3 points in 34.0 minutes before the injury, Embiid was on pace to join Chamberlain as the only NBA players since the 1954-55 season to be recognized for finish with more points than minutes played. Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points in 48.5 minutes for the Philadelphia Warriors during his historic 1961-62 season. Embiid also joined Chamberlain and Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players in league history with 15 consecutive games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds.

He returned with seven games left in the regular season and missed two because of load management. The injury limited him during the Sixers’ first-round series loss to the New York Knicks and while helping Team USA win a gold medal in that summer’s Paris Olympics.

While he had shown some glimpses of his former self, this season has been a struggle.

His averages of 23.8 points and 8.2 rebounds were the fourth- and second-lowest, respectively, in his nine NBA seasons. He also shot career lows from the field (44.4%) and on three-pointers (29.9%). He’d also been moving worse in recent games than he had in December and early January.

And on Feb. 22, his final game of the season, he was benched for the entire fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets because Guerschon Yabusele was a more impactful option. He had a tough time moving around, especially on the defensive end. That led to Nets post players scoring on him at will. Embiid also struggled to make shots, scoring 14 points on 4-for-13 shooting.

Considering all of that, how will Embiid be remembered if he fails to return his All-NBA form?