The Sixer Sense
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Philadelphia 76ers: 5 Areas Where Joel Embiid Has Improved

By Josh Wilson

Apr 8, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) practices prior to a game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. The New York Knicks won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) practices prior to a game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. The New York Knicks won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 8, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid practices prior to a game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 8, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid practices prior to a game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Muscle

This isn’t really something we’d expect from a player who has spent two years in injury rehabilitation, but Joel Embiid has really bulked up. When he joined the Sixers coming out of college, he was pretty big, but definitely not big enough to be considered dominant.

Looking at the progress Embiid has made in his upper body muscle, though, it’s clear that he’s hit the weights. Since Embiid’s injury was just on his foot, there were likely little to no limitations on what he could do as far as arm, shoulder, chest, and ab workouts, as long as they didn’t put weight on his foot.

Because of this, it looks like he was able to take advantage of a lot of spare time, and really bulk himself up. I mean, just look at this picture of Joel before he started playing basketball. It was a while ago, but still, it’s pretty crazy.

What this shows is that Joel really is just an all-around athletic person. He’s going to do whatever it takes to put himself in the best position to succeed, no matter what game he is a part of.

We know what Embiid was able to do in college at a fairly average strength level. Now that his arms and chest look massive, it’s crazy envisioning what he’s going to be able to do. One word comes to mind — dominance.

Next: Form