Joel Embiid Could Thrive At Power Forward Position

The Philadelphia 76ers failed to migrate Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel to Power Forward . But third time is the charm, and Joel Embiid Could Thrive as a Power Forward.

Of the three centers: Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, and Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid is considered the most athletic of the three. Of the three centers, Joel Embiid is the most “raw”. Of the three centers, Joel Embiid is the player projected to have the greatest upside. And finally, of the three centers, Joel Embiid is rumored to have the easiest time of learning new moves – some claim he can assimilate new basketball moves simply by watching an historic elite player perform on a video tape.

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With all of these characteristics in his favor, why should the team hesitate to train him to play at the power forward position?

The team has already shattered one presumption.  Most NBA pundits claimed that the size of Ben Simmons precluded his playing any position other than a power forward role.  We asserted that Ben Simmons should play point guard.   We’ll let Brett Brown be the tie-breaker.  Brett, how do you see Ben Simmons skill-set in this NBA?

In a similar fashion, we are not stuck in the traditional size and weight dictates position for Joel Embiid either.  Despite the long absence from organized basketball, the evidence continues to mount that Joel Embiid playing in a center role may not be the ideal fit for his skill set.

Next: More than a Feeling? er.. Center

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:

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:

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

Addition by Addition

The team has been open minded about the best fit for Ben Simmons.  They should be equally receptive to allowing Embiid’s skillset, not height, determine the best fit for him on the basketball court.

Why is this an important step?  The goal must not deviate from creating the best long term champion caliber team.  Trade rumors are fun for debate and speculation.  Future draft picks are excellent uses of imagination.  But the here and now of this roster should be fully understood before the team inadvertently surrenders a piece of the roster on a hunch or a guess.

With Okafor scoring at the post, Simmons serving up pinpoint passing, and Embiid handling the mid-range and three point shooting, this team will have three key pieces in place.  The linchpin to this scenario will be determined when Embiid’s scoring at mid and long range proves to be authentic or simply a mirage of an open gym.

And what of Dario Saric?  He can slide to the small forward role.  While that may not ideally suit him defensively, his long range shooting would be a very nice addition to the other three players.  A tall shooting guard, perhaps Robert Covington, would be the final missing piece.

Yes, there are rumors of adding players from other teams.   Perhaps the team will do so as free agency winds down.  But the goal of free agency was not to add expensive players now who will consume valuable playing time and then move on to another team.  The goal for this free agency is to add players who can contribute quality minutes, pick up starts until the team’s younger players earn the right to start, and to give their teammates NBA quality mentoring.  To that end, the team has had a very successful off-season. 

Next: Philadelphia 76ers Test Grant And Stauskas On Vegas Roster

Brett Brown has stated that the team is not positionally balanced.   He is correct.  But the fix does not need to be trading players.  It can simply evolve into moving players into other roster roles. If the team move Embiid to the four and if Saric arrives, migrate him to the three, theoretically, the team could slide either Richaun Holmes or Christian Wood to the five spot as a third center for spot minutes.  At season’s opener, the best 15 players need to be on the roster.  Right now, that should persuade the team to alternatives rather than pay a steep premium to have another team take one of our centers off our hands.