The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Joel Embiid Is Heading For Beast Mode

By Bret Stuter

Mar 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (left) and center Joel Embiid (right) share a laugh during warm ups before a game against the Atlanta Hawks at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (left) and center Joel Embiid (right) share a laugh during warm ups before a game against the Atlanta Hawks at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 30, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid practices before a game against the Golden State Warriors at Wells Fargo Center. The Golden State Warriors won 108-105. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid practices before a game against the Golden State Warriors at Wells Fargo Center. The Golden State Warriors won 108-105. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

He’s a basketball savant

Joel Embiid does not have ancestral family heritage that has exposed him to the game of basketball before he was born.  No, he was somebody who came late the sport of basketball, taking up the sport around age 15 or so.  He’s now 22, but subtract 2 years of rehabbing at the NBA level.  That’s just five years of basketball, just one of which was playing for an NCAA level program – when Embiid played center for the Kansas University Jayhawks.

Since Joel Embiid was new to basketball, teams realized that they could provoke the young Cameroon into losing his cool.  And so they did, taunting Embiid into a streak of three consecutive games where he was called for a flagrant foul.

"“I would say during the game, there’s a lot of things that happen. If I did something, it means he probably did something,” Embiid said. “But I just don’t want people to see me as — I don’t do that on purpose, but I don’t want people to see me as like I’m weak or something like that. I just don’t take anything from anybody.”"

Yes, Philadelphia 76ers fans, we’ve found a player who has our mindset. But he’s more than passion.  He’s a basketball player with untapped potential and he’s had, by rights, just one truly competitive season in the NCAA where he showcased his stuff.

So how did he become so dangerous?

"“Since I started playing ball, the things that have helped me the most have been watching tape and listening. I think that I have listen to everything that Coach (Brett Brown) says and that’s something I’m really going to focus on this season. I want to learn about the NBA. Coach always talks about nutrition and sleeping, so I will definitely be paying attention.”"

He’s not kidding.  He’s like a sponge.  A story has been reported that Joel Embiid would watch NBA basketball in the evenings while playing for the Jayhawks, and then replicate the moves from the previous night’s television on the practice court.

If that is true, he will be a very dangerous NBA player indeed.

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