February 01, 2026
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
What Joel Embiid believed to be a trial year of sorts for his knee has turned into much more after an incredible January.
When Joel Embiid scored two points in 20 lackluster minutes on opening night, him contending for an All-Stat nod seemed impossible. But the former NBA MVP made a strong push, which fell a bit short.
The NBA named its All-Star reserves on Sunday – voted on by head coaches across the league – and Embiid did not get named to his eighth All-Star Game despite what has been a stunning turnaround.
Embiid was limited to 20 minutes per game early in the season and needed every appearance padded with multiple days off. As their schedule condensed around the start of the new year, the Sixers began to test the waters with ramping up Embiid's usage. It has gone better than anyone could have possibly expected.
Embiid is coming off his best and most encouraging month of basketball in over two years. He played in 14 of the Sixers' 17 games in January, and all three of his absences were planned on back-to-backs. Across his 14 games last month, Embiid logged 34.1 minutes per game, averaging 29.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 53.7 percent from the field on 19.1 shot attempts per game, 36.2 percent from three-point territory on 3.4 long-range attempts per game and 85.4 percent on free throws (9.3 attempts per game).
Tyrese Maxey will start in the All-Star Game, which will take place later this month in Los Angeles, while VJ Edgecombe will participate in the Rising Stars Challenge, as the first-round pick of NBA legend Vince Carter.
MORE: What is it like to play with Embiid? His teammates explain
