Embiid’s Bandwagon Shouldn’t Be Getting Smaller

Feb 20, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during warm ups prior to the game against the Indiana Pacers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

It Cuts Like A Knife, But It Feels Alright

On August 15th, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported that Embiid was scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday, August 18th. The silence was broken and, as expected, reports that Embiid’s season was once again coming to an end were confirmed. The surgery was reportedly successful.

So why should the Sixers continue to invest in the injury riddled big man who has yet to play in a meaningful NBA game? Why not?

Do the Sixers really have that much to lose? Embiid is slated to make over 4.5 million dollars the next two seasons, and over 6 million in the 2017-18 season. The team holds team options on Embiid in 2016-17, and 2017-18 but don’t expect the team to decline Embiid’s contract. Shedding salaries isn’t really a goal for the rebuilding Sixers, who boast the most amount of cap room for the next three seasons. Now, a lot can happen from now until the tail-end of Embiid’s contract but for the moment it seems like Embiid has found a good situation with the Sixers.

The Sixers have been on the lurk to find a superstar, and thought they landed one when they drafted Embiid. Those thoughts are fading now, but for what reason? Embiid’s second surgery is not career threatening, and won’t change that Embiid obtains offensive skills that are a commodity for big men around the league. Even if this surgery “slows down” Embiid on the court, it won’t make him any less of a center. Embiid’s athleticism on both sides of the ball is often pointed out during praise, but it isn’t why the Sixers took a chance on him.

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