Ben Simmons Is A Perfect Compliment to Jahlil Okafor

Power play

I see Joel Embiid sliding in at power forward.    Why?  We already know that Joel Embiid is incredibly athletic, and that he is now rumored to be healthy as well.   If the team had to convert one of their three bigs, Joel Embiid is the logical choice.

When the Houston Rockets had a similar dilemma with the arrival of Hakeem Olajuwon to a team already centered by Ralph Sampson, Sampson voluntarily sacrificed his natural position to play power forward.  The results were spectacular.  It worked because Ralph Sampson was an incredibly gifted athlete, and his style would give the team the opportunity to boast both big men on the court.

Joel Embiid is that same type of special athlete, whirl, juke, and challenge the forward position and  allow him to roam and make decisions on the fly.  Joel Embiid can play the post, but he is an incredible athlete and can absorb a larger role for the team.

A second reason to place Joel Embiid at the four is to minimize the banging wear and tear on his returning-to-health body.  Okafor is a shifty, great moves center who eludes much of the worst banging bodies near the hoop. Embiid, if practices or college videos mean anything, is athletic enough to stick with faster players, and use that condor-like wingspan to slap the ball away or clog passing lanes.

But Embiid on the court with Okafor gives the Simmons “pass-a-matic phenomenon” very dangerous outlets for his passes, passes that are on target and give the open shooter incredibly clean looks at the basket.

Next: Let the Simshine in