Let’s be real — Joel Embiid wasn’t that great earlier in the season. He was still a physical specimen with an impressive defensive acumen, but was far from reaching the lofty standards he set in the 2016-17 campaign. Turnovers and inconsistency tarnished his first couple of weeks, and left some with reasonable (albeit premature) concerns.
A lot of that tied back to conditioning, something Embiid has been struggling with all season. After spending the better part of the offseason rehabbing his knee and practicing in a limited capacity, it’s not hard to see where Joel’s body fat may have slipped a bit.