The Sixers will protect the rim this season
Having Joel Embiid on the floor immediately boosts our defensive presence. His 7’6 wingspan and tenacious defense is a hazard for opposing teams, night in and night out. He is a skilled defender with great footwork and excellent shot blocking ability.
It is not just his shot blocking ability that helps the Sixers though. Embiid’s presence alone makes players think twice before attacking the rim. What is even better, is that he causes players to alter their shots to avoid getting blocked which ultimately leads to a poor percentage shot.
For example, last night after sinking his first career basket, Embiid came out of nowhere to swat Russell Westbrook’s layup on the other end. Something worth noting is that from that point on, Westbrook did not attack the rim while Embiid was on the floor. If he did, he altered his shot to avoid getting blocked again. Little things like that are going to make a big difference this season.
Joel Embiid isn’t the only big man defending the rim though. Nerlens Noel will be returning within a few weeks and he has always been a defensive specialist. Jahlil Okafor doesn’t provide much on the defensive end but he makes up for it with his scoring ability. Aside from them, Richaun Holmes played 12 meaningful minutes in last night’s loss and looked really good. He had three blocked shots and two of them were back to back on Victor Olidapo that certainly got the crowd going.
It will be interesting to see if the Sixers find a way to get Holmes minutes once Noel returns and all minute restrictions have been lifted. Either way, the Sixers have loads of defensive talent at the Center position. They ranked dead last in DVOA vs the Center position last season which should greatly improve this year.