How the Sixers’ Joel Embiid debunks George Karl’s ‘lazy’ label and makes his MVP case

DENVER — Bright blue sticky plastic wrap enveloped Joel Embiid’s lower right leg as Monday’s 76ers shootaround concluded, keeping an ice bag pressed against the tight calf he has been dealing with for almost a week.

That injury robbed Embiid — and NBA followers at large — of Round 2 of a marquee showdown against Nikola Jokić, the Denver Nuggets superstar who beat out Embiid the past two seasons for league MVP. That those two players (along with the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo) again are the frontrunners for the sport’s most prestigious individual honor has been accompanied by discourse that recently turned toxic, including Hall of Fame former coach (and former Nuggets leader) George Karl saying during a radio interview that Embiid has “lazy body language.”

That has prompted Sixers coach Doc Rivers and Nuggets coach Michael Malone to publicly express their distaste for how making a case for one contender too often devolves into ripping the others, who also are elite players anchoring championship contenders. Plus, a quick scan of some key stats — along with the eye test — illustrate that “lazy” does not characterize the current version of Embiid.

Embiid is closing in on finishing his second consecutive season as the NBA’s leading scorer (33.3 points per game), while hitting a career-best 54.5% of his shots and averaging 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.7 blocks. Yet perhaps the biggest indicator of Embiid’s two-way dominance is that he leads the NBA in real plus-minus (10.15), which measures a player’s average impact in terms of net point differential per 100 offensive and defensive possessions. The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (8.69) ranks second in that category, while Jokić (7.80) is third, and Antetokounmpo is 13th (6.10).

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While splitting that category into each end of the floor, Embiid is 11th in offensive real plus-minus (4.25), behind Antetokounmpo (fourth, 5.69) and Jokić (fifth, 5.34). On the defensive end, Embiid is 10th (5.90), while the next-closest MVP contender is Tatum at a distant 27th (4.63). He has achieved those figures while scoring at all three levels but operates more this season at the nail and elbow in the middle of the floor, where he can create off the dribble and make plays for others while surveying the defense. Rivers also described Embiid’s responsibilities in the Sixers’ scheme last week’s loss at Golden State — which required him to play more on the perimeter rather than hovering around the basket — as particularly “exhausting.”

“It’s tough when you’ve got to do a lot offensively,” Embiid said. “And then defensively, you’ve also got to do a lot, whether it’s protecting the rim, hedging and helping all over the place — especially against a team that moves the ball [and] that makes your defense get in rotations all the time.

“It’s tough, but that’s my job. I love it.”

That effort requires Embiid to run 2.2 miles per game — which ranks fourth on the Sixers behind Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris and James Harden, whose frames are significantly smaller — at an average speed of 3.57 mph. That distance ranks 14th among frontcourt players who play center, slightly behind Jokić (2.31 miles per game) and other fellow standouts such as the Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo (2.49 miles per game) and Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert (2.28 miles per game). It’s also less than Antetokounmpo, who runs 2.27 miles per game.

Embiid ranks outside the top 30 in minutes played at 34.7 per game, which is less than Tatum (who is second in the league in that category at 37.3 per game) but more than Jokić (33.9 per game) and Antetokounmpo (32.2 per game).

Yet those figures don’t account for the energy Embiid expends while elevating vertically as a rim protector — he has totaled multiple blocks in eight of his past 10 games and entered Monday ranked seventh in the league in two-point shots contested per game (8.6) — nor the brute force he plays with (and combats from others) while banging inside on offense and defense. The Sixers declined to provide any internally compiled data that measures daily workload, effort exerted, or other comparable outputs.

The eye test provides some clues.

As part of a 46-point outing in Friday’s loss at Golden State, for example, Embiid picked up a loose ball in the first quarter, immediately led the fast break, and dished to Harris for the dunk. Later, he took on a triple-team to draw a foul on a turnaround jumper. While scoring 13 consecutive points in the fourth quarter, he hit the floor on a driving finish through contact, hit a fadeaway while bumped, and then challenged a shot on the opposite end on the ensuing defensive possession.

The following night — while clearly laboring more in a 20-point loss at the Phoenix Suns — Embiid blocked Josh Okogie on one end about midway through the second quarter, but did not run back as Harris led a fast break and got fouled. While Harris shot free throws, Embiid stood in the opposite lane, hands on his knees while catching his breath.

Embiid already had played 61 games this season before Monday’s absence, including several while managing an ongoing foot issue. That has nearly matched his career-high 68 games played last season, including 41 out of 42 from Dec. 15-March 20.

The big man with a lengthy injury history clearly made it a priority to prove his durability last season, after a late knee injury may have cost him the 2021 MVP. He took steps to change his body, including working with renowned sports dietician Louise Burke, who was the dietician for the Australian Summer Olympic teams from 1996-2012.

But after a torn thumb ligament and orbital fracture derailed another playoff run last spring, Embiid has verbalized his focus on reaching (and getting through) the postseason as healthy as possible. He rested and received treatment on that calf during the second half of Wednesday’s win in Chicago, then played in the Friday-Saturday back-to-back before sitting out Monday’s game.

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As Jokić stepped to the free-throw line during Monday’s second quarter, “M-V-P!” chants rang through Ball Arena. He finished the night with 25 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists to help top the Sixers to end a four-game road trip (and 12 out of 15 games away from home).

Embiid did not get his opportunity to counter Jokić in the highly anticipated rematch. But he amassed 47 points, 18 rebounds, and five assists in his first meeting against Jokić in late January. He has been on a tear on both ends of the floor since the All-Star break.

The term “lazy” need not apply.