After averaging 34.6 minutes and 33 ppg, Joel Embiid plans to be "in the best shape of his life"

Joel Embiid, regarded as one of the most formidable players in the league today, comes off a career year in points, rebounds, and even minutes per game, earning him the MVP award last season.

Despite the disappointing second-round exit to the Boston Celtics in the 2023 playoffs, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne talked about Embiid's plans for the upcoming regular season.

"He wants to come back in the best shape of life," Shelburne said. "I think his mentality is, he's going to give everything that he has to the Sixers this year. I think this year really is a make or break in the sense that they have all this cap space going forward and that he's in very close communication with Daryl Morey in the front office."

With the ongoing concerns regarding the team, Joel Embiid's leadership mentality could galvanize everyone in the upcoming season.

According to Shelburne, the reigning league MVP wants to play this season "in the best shape of his life," after averaging 34.6 minutes per game last season under the 66 games played.

Joel Embiid averaged the most minutes he has played in a season last year

During the 2022-23 season, Embiid had a quality roster on his side with scorers James Harden and Tyrese Maxey taking the load off of the big man's offensive burden. Additionally, Tobias Harris, De'Anthony Melton, P.J. Tucker, and Paul Reed provided quality minutes and production to the team. All this facilitated Embiid's balanced experience on the court.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to play the entire playoffs as he suffered a knee sprain during Game 3 of the Sixers' first-round matchup against the Nets.

Luckily enough, he was able to return to the court for the team's second-round meeting with the Celtics. Be that as it may, his knee bothered him throughout that series.

Nick Nurse as the new head coach of Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers

With a new head coach on the team under Nick Nurse, Joel Embiid can expect an increase in his playing minutes as Nurse has been known to do this with his star players back in Toronto. The coaching style will go hand-in-hand together as the 76ers' big man is looking to ramp up his workout routine.

Looking at Nick Nurse's track record in Toronto, he was well-regarded as one of the most innovative coaches at both the offensive and defensive ends.

With a prominent big man on his team, Sixers' fans can expect a leap in Embiid's rim protection ability along with the perimeter defense of the roster's supporting defenders.

Because of his coaching philosophies, according to a USA Today Sports article from Sixers Wire's Ky Carlin, Joel Embiid can expect his production and especially his minutes to ramp up.

In the article, the President of the Toronto Raptors, Masai Ujiri, discussed Nurse's unique coaching style back when he was still the coach of the team.

"(He's a) mad scientist," Ujiri said. "That's all I can say. Every day he's thinking. He lives, he sleeps, he drinks the game. Always thinking of all the things that, hopefully, can give us an edge to win."

With the mindset of getting healthier for the season and playing under a new coach, Sixers fans can look forward to an even more rejuvenated Joel Embiid.