76ers just made their biggest signing this season without making a single move

After their thrilling win on Thursday, the Philadelphia 76ers have now reached 24 wins on the season, matching their entire total from last season. And it’s all thanks to the biggest addition they made this offseason – all without actually making a move on the trade market or anything.

This addition is essentially what they already have on deck: a healthy Joel Embiid. Just a few months ago, it seemed like the former MVP would never again reach the level of basketball he is capable of. Now he’s confidently playing at an All-NBA level again, which is one, if not the main, reason why the 76ers are back in the playoffs this season.

On the anniversary of his 70-point game two years ago, Embiid recorded a triple-doublewith 32 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, he absolutely dominated his Rockets counterpart in Alperen Sengun. He put the team behind him late in the game, allowing them to come back in the fourth quarter and ultimately prevail in overtime. Most impressive is the fact that they played over 45 minutes in this match.

This is the kind of Embiid the 76ers desperately need to really compete with, and he’s been great.

The 76ers getting a healthy Joel Embiid back is huge

Embiid played more than 45 minutes for the first time since nearly two years ago, when the 76ers faced the Knicks in the playoffs. As everyone knows, that was the series in which he last appeared. And things have been mostly downhill for him since then.

Now, Embiid is averaging 30.3 minutes per outing — a lofty figure for a player who was under a strict minutes restriction to start the season. Even better is the fact that he is recording 24.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per night, showing his impressive production across the board despite his more calculated playing time on the court.

As was clear from their putrid campaign last season, it doesn’t really matter what the 76ers do on the margins. Their path to title contention starts with having a functional Joel Embiid, who has shown the ability to re-up his MVP-level play even when not at 100%, albeit in semi-long stretches.

Tyrese Maxey may be the alpha in Philly now, and VJ Edgecombe may be their future, but Joel Embiid is the 76ers. They can’t make noise in the playoffs without him, and having the real him back is the best addition they could have ever made this season.