Joel Embiid injury update: Will latest injury cost him another MVP?

As Joel Embiid left another game with an injury, fans began to wonder online whether the Sixers generational center would run out of eligibility for a chance to be back-to-back MVPs. According to Chris Haynes of TNT Sports, it seems like the star is "not considering" rushing or playing through this current injury to still be eligible for the MVP award.

Embiid needs to play in 31 of Philadelphia's final 36 regular season games to be considered for this nod or any regular season award. The All-NBA veteran also needs to play 20 minutes in each of those 31 games. With all of this in mind, Embiid will probably not be eligible for top awards like MVP this season. That brings the question of is the star doing the right thing by not coming back early from this injury or ones that possibly come up in the future.

Is Joel Embiid doing the right thing by not rushing back from injury?

Embiid is definitely doing the right thing by not rushing back from injury and letting himself heal for the playoffs. To be quite honest, the Sixers should do well enough over the next couple of games to keep them in the race for a top-six seed when Embiid does come back from injury. This would allow Philly to play in a series that could certainly be winnable assuming that they play either New York, Indiana, or Cleveland.

The franchise will not be the favorite to win the East even if Embiid is fully healthy, but they will have a good chance to make a run to the Finals even if they choose to hold onto their cap space for the offseason and not make a trade at the deadline. Even though they looked like a squad that would compete with the Bucks and Celtics earlier on in the season, settling for a first-round or second-round exit isn't too bad if you consider the assets that they have to build around Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.

Yes, certain teams will be circling them trying to get the MVP talent to request a trade. Still, the Sixers will have a great chance to build around the star big man this offseason. No matter what ends up happening, it seems like Embiid days of being a possible back to back MVP is over.