5 of 5

One game is not enough to altogether write off Joel Embiid's star power. He has always needed time to re-acclimate himself when returning from injuries and surgeries. This may be no different.

Let's also not forget that he looked pretty good in his lone preseason appearance against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This is not someone who's consigned to operating at a perma-nadir.

Completely ignoring what we just watched would nevertheless be foolish.

Pretty much everyone has collectively decided Embiid will never appear in enough games to contend for MVP awards ever again. This performance hints at the possibility he never even plays at that level again.

Shrug it off if you must. Maybe that proves to be the smart play. But when his number of appearances are going to be inherently limited, every one of them counts. He will not always have a ton of runway to work himself into form. The days of him playing in longer bursts during individual games could be over, too.

Philly better hope that it isn't, or that Embiid figures out how to...