Philadelphia 76er Joel Embiid Taking It To Next Level

With the Philadelphia 76ers fading at the end of the 2015-2016 season, there is more than ever pressure on Joel Embiid to deliver the goods next season. But while we eagerly turn our attention towards tomorrow, we are finding he has already begun taking it to the next level

Expectations. The prerequisite of disappointment. You see, you can’t really be disappointed if you never set the expectation first. So if we, as a fan base, form a mutual pact NOT to set any expectations for the return to health of center/forward Joel Embiid next season, we’ll be certain NOT to be disappointed if he fails to match up to them.

But that is a pipe dream. We’ve already begun to hope. You see, the team invested a third pick of the 2014 NBA draft in the young man, knowing full well that his was the type of injury that would require a minimum of a year of rehabilitation to fix. After a year, the healing process was not quite there, and so a second surgery performed by world experts happened under the oversight of the Philadelphia 76ers. Knowing all of this, I believe that the team would have made the same selection.

You see, the Philadelphia 76ers believe that Joel Embiid is a game changer, and I heartily agree with them.  The Philadelphia 76ers have the potential to score four draft picks in the first round, and perhaps two of those picks will happen in the top five selections of the 2016 NBA draft.  But try as I might, I cannot imagine any prospect in this upcoming draft having the upside potential of a healthy Joel Embiid.

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That’s not blind worship, nor is it ignoring the facts that Joel Embiid is coming off a two year rehabilitation.  But the player is electrifying, and his personality is as infectious as his circus entertaining training practices.  He has star potential written all over him. If, and it’s a big if, the team can help him realize full health and a long enduring NBA career.

Next: One Foot On the Ground

One Foot On The Ground

But there is reason to temper expectations, at least the quality of play in the 2016-2017 season. You see, Joel Embiid, while practicing in gymnasiums and on basketball courts, hasn’t played a game in the NBA to date, and has not played in an organized team basketball game for quite a while.

And so, the hopes clash with the fears. You see, over two years is an awfully long time NOT to compete, and therein lies the rub. Not only will the Philadelphia 76ers need to bring Joel Embiid up to NBA speed, but will also be hard pressed to build a team around him as he himself is constructing his NBA personna.

That is just the latest in a series of training drills as a Sixer.   His routine is demanding, but monitored and very focused.  He is dedicated now, something that could not be said honestly about his efforts in his first year with the team.

But age draws wisdom and maturity.  Having been drafted by the team, sitting on the sidelines rehabbing for two years, he’s had time to soul-search about how much he wants this.  Fortunately for the Philadelphia 76ers, the answer has come back with a resounding YES, he does want to realize his full potential.  And so, the rehabilitation mixed with the demand of patience has been both enriching and disciplining for the young man from Cameroon.

Next: The Fit

The fit

But the first phase is completing.  He appears to be healthy enough to practice.  But will he fit what the Philadlephia 76ers need in a big man?  Well, he is loved by his teammates. Truly loved. In fact, he is the comic relief of the team, the guy everybody loves to hang out with.

Unfortunately, this popular player is walking a tough road right now, and much of it is up to Joel Embiid alone. When the team sent Embiid to the Aspetar clinic, there was a cascade of fears and concerns about his recovery, and whether a setback had occurred. But it was simply the segway period into the next round, the next phase of his training.  Before the team was comfortable in pushing his training to the next level, they had to be reassured that Joel Embiid’s foot could handle the ever increasing stress.

And so, he was subjected to a rehabilitation boot camp where the program analyzes, tests, evaluates, and then optimizes, his physical condition in order to take the next step.  The clinic even custom designs inserts to place into shoes to monitor and evenly distribute the work and energies connected with high demanding sports like basketball.

Now that he has returned from the overseas clinic, he is ready to begin increasing his workload – both in intensity and in duration.  It’s these workouts which are hitting the youtube listings now, and are worth a look.

Next: The NCAA Player

The NCAA player

But what about the player we drafted? You see, much of that youthful energy was raw and unfocussed.  But the potential was there, and has always been there.  Embiid was a force to be reckoned with, in both phases of the game.  While he was a post player in college, we’ve already seen his game expand and he is now deadly accurate, albeit in drills, from three point range.   To catch what all of the excitement is truly about, I have to take you back in time for just a moment.  You see, when Joel Embiid was heading to the draft, he, as all NCAA hopefuls, had a video created to shop his wares.

What jumps out at you when you look at this player on his video is the complete package.   Keep in mind that his college career was just one season as a Kansas Jayhawk.  From that one season, he suffered both back and foot injuries, and had surgery that would place him on the sidelines for a minimum of at least one year.

It was a very good year.  He shot 62.6% from the floor as he averaged 11.2 points per game on just 23 minutes played.  He also averaged 8.1 rebounds per game, 1.4 assists per game, .9 steals per game to go with 2.6 blocks per game. His accuracy from three point range, if he had any weaknesses on the basketball court, was just 20%.  But his game was close to the boards in college.  Despite the physicality of his position, he was incredibly athletic as well.

He was selected third in that draft.  It was that jumping off the page potential that is so very obvious, even to an untrained eye, which makes Joel Embiid so special.  Perhaps all of his potential won’t translate immediately into his rookie season in the NBA. But Joel Embiid has the potential to epitomize the two-way player that head coach Brett Brown is so fond of on the roster.

Next: The NBA Player

The NBA player

So he is finally emerging from his rehabilitation and actually becoming an active NBA player soon. But at which position, at what level?

For now, without actually seeing him play with teammates on the court at the same time, we project Embiid to fill a role at the power forward position primarily.  While some would argue that his size dictates he is exclusively used as a center, both Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel are more limited in their positions.   Embiid appears to have that special physicality to play the post, but he also has a complete arsenal of agility, savvy, wingspan, and quickness that has propelled him to excel on defense as well.

And his three point shooting ? Well, it’s coming along nicely.   Here’s another shooting drill video.   This was just at the beginning of the year.  He is improving on a daily basis.  Eventually, we’ll begin to see videos surfacing of his man on man drills.   Eventually, he will work up to the five on five drills, and then we’ll be able to see just how NBA ready he has become, or maintained.

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The Philadelphia 76ers are a young team with a great deal of potential.  But one young man is maturing off-stage.  The metamorphasis of Joel Embiid is now entering the next level.   While I cannot promise that each and every NBA fan’s expectations and hopes will be realized, I can guarantee that the hopes of one man will be realized.  Embiid will  finally be an NBA player.   I think the rest of the NBA will be impressed with that.