More than a Feeling? er Center..
Embiid is so much more than a typical center, as Simmons is more than a forward. Joel Embiid has good handles on the ball, can shoot at the post, but in the past two years has worked on developing a nice perimeter shot. He has the athleticism and wingspan to defend forwards, and his attack mentality is more ideally suited at the four position.
Can he play center? Of course. But in a grand scheme of things, the philosophy of getting your best five players on the court kicks in.
We had just finished discussing how Jahlil Okafor truly is a very good complimentary fit for a Ben Simmons run offense. With his natural ability to make shots with little help to score nearly 20 points a game, the post game of Okafor with Simmons feeding him the ball is scary on the upside, perhaps as many as 30+ points a game this season.
But to get Okafor to the post every night, the roster will need a spot for Joel Embiid. That spot is the power forward spot. While most everyone else will disagree, let’s check back with the head coach Brett Brown once more as the tie-breaker:
Brett Brown: "I've been around the greatest power forward of all time and I see hints and signs of it [in Joel Embiid]."
— shamus (@shamus_clancy) June 5, 2015
Another one in our favor. But I can’t lie. I didn’t think of this one first. Actually, it was the great architect, Sam Hinkie, who first made the idea public:
#DailyNBA General manager Sam Hinkie said on Friday that he thinks of Joel Embiid (foot) as more of a power forward.
— Daily NBA Fantasy (@DailyNBAFantasy) June 27, 2014
He would know. In the history of the Houston Rockets, Ralph Sampson used his athleticism to move to the four to make room for center Hakeem Olajuwon.
Next: Addition by addition