Joel Embiid is Averaging the Most Points Per Minute in NBA History
There are a ton of amazing Joel Embiid stats floating around after that 70-point performance, but this one jumps out at me:
Embiid this season:
1,156 points
1,096 minutesAveraging the most points per minute in NBA history. https://t.co/wyWqdz4vtq
— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 23, 2024
That’s 1.05 points per minute, which is incredible. A monolithic number.
This is why we focus on per-36 numbers and other metrics that give us solid extrapolations. If you look at Embiid’s raw totals this season, you’ll see that he’s up from 33.1 PPG to 36.1 PPG, so the natural thought is that Nick Nurse playing him more. But the opposite is true. Joel’s minutes per game have dropped from 34.6 to 34.3. That’s not a drastic change from his MVP year, but consider that he’s somehow found a way to stuff another 2.3 shots into that window while also getting to the line an extra half-time. You’re seeing high usage but also high efficiency as well.
When you run those per-36 numbers, Embiid is averaging 38 points and 12.8 free throw attempts. He would shoot 23.5 shots per game. And he’d also throw 6.2 assists per game, which is another number we’re overlooking. We’re conditioned to think that Embiid is this linear bulldozer on the offensive end, but under Nurse he’s up from 4.2 assists per game to 5.9, which is a career high by a wide margin. And the turnover number hasn’t moved in any kind of concerning way. Yes, he’s currently averaging 3.6 turnovers per game, but he was in the 3.8 and 3.7 range during his first few seasons without being half of the scorer or passer he is in 2024. That TOV number is totally manageable and not a concern.
Look at those names. Michael Jordan. LeBron. Steph Curry. Nobody is doing it with more efficiency than Joel. This is one of the most dominant NBA runs you will ever see. One of the most dominant runs in all of sport.