4 years and 213 million US dollars! No. 1 in the league, the Emperor is injured, and Maxey and the 76ers are in their original form
With the NBA mid-season trade sunset down and All-Star Weekend looming, the league landscape is far more chaotic than expected. On the western side, the Timberwolves, Nuggets, Thunder and Clippers are no more than one win difference between the four teams, and the battle for the top spot is full of uncertainties; The Philadelphia 76ers are back on track, and Embiid, the MVP of last season's regular season, is still at his peak, but it wasn't until after the Great was injured that we found out: there is the Great Emperor, the 76ers can believe in the process, and without the Great Emperor, the 76ers are the real thing!
With 213 million US dollars in 4 years, the emperor moved forward with a heavy load
Philadelphia has a lot of stories, and I believe that the process is the "strongest voice" of their era, for no other reason than because they have Embiid, an unborn interior talent! Since the emperor landed in the NBA, he has suffered from injuries of varying degrees, and has even been labeled as a glass man by the outside world. Philadelphia remained patient, though, and they always chose to trust the process, to believe in the Great. In this process, Butler, Sedty, Harden and others have become Philadelphia's hurried passers-by, and the Great is still standing! And the Great did not disappoint the Phillies either, he became the first 76ers player to win the scoring championship + MVP after Iverson, going down in history!
The fly in the ointment is how beautiful the emperor of the regular season is, and how lonely the emperor of the playoffs is - 6 playoff trips, 1 stop in the first round, 5 times stop in the second round, and never touch the floor of the division finals. Especially when Jokic had no desire for MVP in the playoffs last season but led the Nuggets to the first championship trophy in team history and won the FMVP in a way that he wanted, the Emperor's MVP trophy was even more eclipsed, and you can only sigh: there is no harm without comparison. The Emperor's 4-year $213 million super cap salary contract has officially taken effect from this season, with a starting salary of up to $47.61 million.
No. 1 in the league, the Great is injured
In the new season, the 76ers are back on track, and the Emperor continues last season's MVP-level dominance. The Emperor played in 34 games for the 76ers, averaging 35.3 points (1st in the league) + 11.3 rebounds + 5.7 assists + 1.1 steals + 1.8 blocks + 1.2 three-pointers per game, shooting 53.3% from the field, 36.6% from three-point range, and 88.3% from the free throw line. According to the statistics on the NBA's official website, the emperor's average shooting per game (11.8), free throw shooting (11.9), and free throw shooting (10.5) all rank first in the league. Among them, on December 7, he played the Wizards again, and the Emperor slashed 50 points + 13 rebounds + 7 assists, and on December 21, he played the Timberwolves, and the Emperor scored 51 points + 12 rebounds, and on January 23, he played the Spurs, and the Emperor scored 70 points + 10 rebounds!
The emperor himself did not grow an inch of grass, but the voices of doubt were endless. On the one hand, the Emperor has become a little expert in abusing vegetables, and he is suspected of brushing data when he hits a weak team; on the other hand, the Emperor is suspected of evading when he travels at a staggered peak and beats strong teams such as the Nuggets, the Green Army, the Bucks, and the Timberwolves. Especially when the 76ers challenged the Nuggets away, the emperor decided not to play after the pre-game warm-up, and was criticized by the whole world, and was even investigated by the league. To make matters worse, the Emperor was under pressure to make a comeback against the Warriors, only to collapse on the floor of the Chase Center. Eventually, the Emperor suffered a lateral meniscus injury in his left knee and had to undergo surgery, and he was expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
9 games and 8 losses, Maxey and the 76ers are in their original form
Before and after the Emperor's injury, the 76ers lost 8 of 9 games, which was miserable, and Maxey was also embarrassed. Among them, against the Nets, Maxey scored only 23 points on 8-of-23 shooting, and the 76ers lost by 15 points, against the Mavericks, Maxey scored only 15 points on 6-of-16, and the 76ers lost by 12 points, and against the Warriors again, Maxey scored only 12 points on 5-of-14, and the 76ers lost by 23 points. In the process, Maxi and the 76ers completely revealed their original form. I don't deny that Maxey himself has been plagued by injuries, but one thing is for sure, without the Great's containment, when the opponent pinched Maxey, he didn't have the ability to take charge of himself and couldn't lead the team, and the 76ers were completely scattered, lacking aggression on both ends of the floor.
At present, the 76ers have a record of 30-21, falling directly from third place in the East to fifth place in the East, 2.5 games behind the Knicks (33-19) in fourth place, and only two games ahead of the Pacers (29-24) in sixth place in the East. As things stand, at least, even if the 76ers bring in Hield before the midseason trade day, they won't have enough roster depth and talent to compete with the Knicks, Cavaliers, Bucks, and Greens, and they could fall into the play-in zone. On the one hand, it can explain the significance of the Emperor to the 76ers, and on the other hand, it can also give the Emperor a chance to cultivate and recuperate. If the Emperor can return before the playoffs, we are looking forward to seeing a resurrected Emperor who is not a scorer or an MVP, but just to make a name for himself on the big stage of the playoffs!