Joel Embiid Wonders 'What If' After 10K Achievement vs. Cavaliers

Joel Embiid feels lucky after recent achievement, but couldn't help but think what if he didn't miss so many games due to injuries early on.

Going into Wednesday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid needed just five points to get to 10,000 total points in his career. Within minutes, Embiid was there, as he produced nine points in his first 12 minutes on the floor against the Cavs.

The Sixers acknowledged Embiid’s milestone during the first timeout of the game, which led to applause for the six-time All-Star. The star big man humbly waved to the crowd before locking in for the remainder of the game en route to a 29-point showing in the 118-112 victory over the Cavaliers.

Rocking the Sixers’ signature Big Energy chain after the game while sitting at his locker, Embiid couldn’t help but think about the what-ifs while discussing his recent accomplishment. 

“I can only think, what if I didn’t miss all of those games,” he said. “I guess it’s a good thing, but that’s not where the focus is. I just focus about what I can do to help the team. If it’s scoring a lot, passing, defensively, then I’m going to do it.”

When he entered the NBA, Embiid was dealing with a foot injury, which was bound to make him miss his true rookie season. Similar issues kept him off the floor for his true sophomore effort as well. While Embiid finally debuted in 2016-2017, he was finished after just 31 games. 

While Embiid’s been healthy for at least 50 games over the last five years leading up to this season, he’s never appeared in more than 68 games — a factor that makes his recent milestone so much more impressive, considering he was the fastest Sixer to reach 10,000 points as he did it in 372 games, edging out Sixers legend, Allen Iverson, for the feat. 

“I’m extremely lucky,” said Embiid. “I put in a lot of work to be able to put myself in those positions, no matter what on the floor, to be able to make something happen. I’m extremely lucky, but then again, I also put the work in, so I’m just proud it contributes to winning. Just playing, it doesn’t matter how much you score. As long as you win, it doesn’t matter.”

Embiid’s made it known on numerous occasions that his ultimate goal is winning games that will eventually lead to a title run. As he understands he’s key to his team’s success, Embiid is focused on doing what he can to help the Sixers win while knowing that personal accolades could come with that.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.