Nov 2, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center
Joel Embiid(21) before a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Wells Fargo Center. The Cavaliers won 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Discipline
The Philadelphia 76ers are build on the hope of young talent, and with youth comes the inherent challenge of focusing all that raw youthful energy to basketball in a positive way. We know this is a vulnerable area to the Sixers. After news broke of Joel Embiid’s need for a second surgery to heal his foot, reports surfaced that Embiid did not strictly adhere to his regiment following his first surgery. The need to keep Embiid on track is so great that the Sixers have brought on Zydrunus Ilgauskas, former Cleveland Cavaliers career leader in rebounds and blocked shots, who also endured numerous foot surgeries.
"“His story is real,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said. “And it really resonates with Joel on the pitfalls of it all and the mental side of it all and the discipline to take of your body to get back onto the court. So far Joel (Embiid) is doing great and is also doing fantastic in his mind. He is so determined to do everything that he has to,” Brown said, “everything that people are telling him that he has to do to get it right. There was a real progression in his maturity and seriousness to understanding truly what needs to be done for him to give him every chance to get back on the court ”"
Joel Embiid is less than two years older than Jahlil Okafor. In the past two years, he has matured rapidly, out of necessity. Sometimes, the process of maturing is not encountering adversity, but learning how to successfully manage and overcome that adversity. Right now, that is the challenge facing the entire Philadelphia 76ers active roster.
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