Joel Embiid shows that all might not be lost for the Sixers after all

Injuries and poor play from their superstars got the Philadelphia 76ers' season off to a nightmare start. Rival fans who started to count Philadelphia out of the playoff race earlier this year might still have spoken too soon. The recent play of MVP Joel Embiid is starting to breathe life into his team.

Philly fans got a great example of just how good their franchise big man could be in Friday night's win over the Hornets. He dominated Charlotte to the tune of 34 points and nine boards. Admittedly, the Hornets don't have the best group of center options in the NBA but it was still a tour de force by Embiid in a game his team needed to win.

Joel Embiid is showing signs of dominance

One good game doesn't change the course of Philadelphia's season but it does give the franchise reason for optimism. The biggest opportunity for improvement for the Sixers this year is simply seeing Embiid get back to his best. That player is a center who can dominate games on both ends of the floor with his size and skill.

Embiid's renaissance helps the rest of coach Nick Nurse's group slot back into their appropriate slots. Paul George can be a co-starter at his forward spot rather than the sole offensive creator. Tyrese Maxey is at his best when he can play off Embiid's dominant post game. Even rookie Jared McCain will get more space to operate on the perimeter once he returns to action.

Of course, the big caveat here is that the 76ers need Embiid to stay healthy. Their 9-17 start to the current campaign eliminates most of their margin for error if they want to be a playoff team. As it stands, they are only 1.5 games out of the 12-seed but Philadelphia would really like to shoot all the way to the No. 6 spot where they can avoid the stress of any type of play-in scenario.

If they are going to make that kind of progress they need Embiid to play his best basketball and avoid any sort of significant injury. The 76ers can still monitor his workload with regular games off but he cannot miss weeks of action if they are going to achieve their goals. Embiid's recent play is encouraging but it isn't a foolproof plan for future success in Philadelphia.