Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid Is Ready For The NBA

After A Two Year Hiatus, The Cameroon Center for the Philadelphia 76ers is Ready To Leave His Mark On The NBA. But is the NBA Ready For Joel Embiid?

In relative terms, two NBA seasons is a long time, but in the case of Joel Embiid’s rehabilitation, it was just that last bit of investment needed by the Philadelphia 76ers. They think that they have somebody special ready to step foot onto the NBA court this year.

I think they are right.

Workout videos are all the Philadelphia 76ers fans have right now. Each video has built upon the last one, showing a strong physique, each one showing improving agility and shooting range. He shows nice spins moves, a nice jumper.

But it doesn’t show how he will stand up to NBA competition.

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And so, what we have so far is just enough to give believers enough to go on to feel very positive. But it doesn’t give enough to disprove the doubters. Stalemate.

But lets discuss who will be playing around Joel Embiid, and then circle back around to him. At the point guard will likely be Sergio Rodriguez. On a one year NBA contract, Rodriguez is going to play his heart out. Is he capable? Yes, and then some. Rodriguez was an NBA player who discovered relevance when he joined Euroleague’s Real Madrid. He has great ball handling skills, can shoot from the perimeter or take the ball to the hoop, and is very capable of passing laser-guided assists to the post.

At shooting guard, the team will likely be starting defensive guru Gerald Henderson. He is a huge signing, as the 76ers were trounced soundly on numerous occasions by their opponent’s wings having career days offensively. Not only will Henderson shut down the perimeter game of the other team, he adds some perimeter power of his own. That will force defenses to respect the arc, and hopefully make the neighborhood a tad less crowded.

Ben Simmons should be next in at the starting small/point forward. Simmons is a huge coup for the Sixers, as he has a strong presence in scoring, rebounds, and assists. While his shooting may be a work in process, don’t discount his ability to set up his teammates, pull down rebounds, and start a series of fast break scores. With Simmons in the lineup, it could very easily be rebound, pass, alley oop, score.

Next in the likely starting lineup is the Croatian Sensation, Dario Saric. Saric is having an outstanding run with the Croatian national team, and even when he is stymied offensively, he is showing up huge in critical plays. Saric is another versatile player who can shoot all over the court, can rebound, and assist. He is an incredible echo of Simmons on the court, as both men are large bodies with great basketball IQ. Simmons is quicker, but Saric has such a sweet shot from the perimeter right now.

Combine all that, and then stick Joel Embiid into the center. Will Embiid need to block four shots a game. No, as both Saric and Simmons can help with that. Will Embiid need to pull down 14 rebounds a game? No, as once more both Simmons and Saric will help. Will he need to scored 20+ points a game? No, as the team will have better scorers and better ball movement this year.

Will he need to make this own shots? Not quite, as Simmons, Saric and Rodriguez all can place the ball into his hands in virtually any situation.

The Philadelphia 76ers do not need Joel Embiid to carry the team this year as they had leaned heavily upon Jahlil Okafor the previous season. In fact, the team will likely have restrictions on the frequency of his appearances as well as minutes restriction upon Embiid when he does manage to get into games.

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But from what we see right now, you won’t be able to miss his performances. He’ll be the guy making NBA players seem short and slow.