Exactly one year ago: Embiid dropped a career high 70/18/5 - he was hitting the highest peak of his career, putting up historic numbers and on pace for a second MVP with the Sixers near the top of the conference. A dive into one of the most tragic and sudden downfalls in NBA history:

Exactly one year ago today (well, 1/22/24 🤓): Embiid dropped 70/18/5 and 2 stocks on elite efficiency in a dominant win over Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in their first ever career matchup.

Up until that point in the season, Embiid had averaged 36/12/6 with 3 stocks and 65%TS heading into the injury. He had the record for highest points-per-possession of all-time, higher than peak Houston Harden. He was only trending up, too - in his last 10 games before the injury, he was averaging 40/11/5 with even better efficiency.

Exactly one year ago, we were witnessing one of the highest peaks in NBA history. Embiid was leading one of the craziest MVP races ever, with Jokic, Luka, Giannis on his tail, and only upped his performance as the race was heating up. Even with all the injuries, tragedies, and playoff chokes that Embiid had fallen victim to thus far in his career, he had been improving every year and evolving over the past decade to blossom into a juggernaut.

Ever since he entered the league, Embiid had been seen as a liability and a ticking time bomb due to injuries. Nevertheless, he persevered and took the Sixers from one of the worst teams in NBA history to a contender.

2014-15: Did not play due to injury

2015-16: Did not play due to injury; Philadelphia went 10-72

2016-17: ROY candidate, looked impressive but only 31 games

2017-18: 23/11/3 - 1st All-Star, 1st All-NBA, DPOY runner-up

2018-19: Massive leap to averaging 28/14/4 - AS, All-NBA, DPOY candidate, Sixers looked like legit contenders w/ Butler

2019-20: COVID year, Embiid/Simmons missed time, Al Horford, etc.

2020-21: Blossomed into a true MVP candidate, but got injured then choked in yoffs

2021-22: Another MVP runner up year, averaged 31/12/4 but he and Harden sadly fell vs Miami

2022-23: Finally breaks through, wins MVP averaging 33/10/4 and 3 stocks, got to the verge of eliminating Boston in the playoffs but Sixers choked at the very end

This year, the team had lost Harden for scraps following the Morey offseason drama. Embiid, finally healthy, was on pace for a second MVP and had a chance at a legit playoff run with Nick Nurse and an evolved Maxey. Embiid kept hitting higher and higher peaks, and was about to play a rematch vs his rival Jokic...

Something changed one year ago.

After the Spurs game, Embiid had yet another injury issue. Less than a week after the 70 bomb, Embiid missed that game in Denver due to injury management. He was predictably blasted from everywhere, from media, to rival fans, to his own fans. That part needs to be mentioned, because it was the incendiary fallout from missing that game that pressured Embiid into forcing himself to play on a bum knee vs. Golden State, where he suffered the injury that effectively ended his season. He missed months, then came back right before the playoffs and was dramatically slower and more lumbering. The Sixers slid from a top 3 seed all the way into the play-in, lost a heartbreaking close series vs. the Knicks, and they were eliminated in the first round. In the offseason, they ended up signing Paul George to a 5-year max, and we all know what happened after that with the drama and chaos the last few months. From countless injuries to team drama to leaks to other obstacles, the Sixers limped to one of the worst starts in franchise and NBA history, and here they are now, languishing near the bottom of the conference...

Embiid and the Sixers are in a tragic state right now. It's truly so sad that just a year ago things couldn't have been better for them.