If there’s a player who epitomizes “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride,” it’s Joel Embiid.
He looked like a sure thing to be the No. 1 pick back in 2014, but then a foot injury dropped him to No. 3. He’s suffered excruciating losses—between Kawhi Leonard’s four-bounce game-winner in Toronto during a Game 7 in 2019 and the stunning Game 7 loss to the Hawks in ’20, when Ben Simmons infamously passed up a potential dunk opportunity late—that scuttled golden opportunities to reach the Eastern Conference finals. He’s considerably improved his conditioning and durability, and has even averaged an NBA-high 30.