The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Joel Embiid Is Turning Heads In NBA Today, Attracting FAs Tomorrow

By Bret Stuter

Dec 11, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (R) and center Jahlil Okafor (M) greet Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (L) prior to game action at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 11, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (R) and center Jahlil Okafor (M) greet Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (L) prior to game action at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next

Joel Embiid‘s performance has turned heads throughout the NBA. In the summer of 2017, it could payoff as free agents choose their next team.

Joel Embiid is “The Process”. He is the “Lion-Killer”. He is the “Goat”. He’s even been described as entering this season in “Beast Mode”. But Joel Embiid is merely an NBA rookie. He has taken his place on the NBA basketball court after two years of rehabilitation and anticipation. He had every reason to stumble this early, but he didn’t.

You see, he does not come from basketball lineage like Ben Simmons or Dario Saric. In sharp contrast, he doesn’t even have much of a basketball background from his native country of Cameroon. Embiid’s basketball skills and intelligence did not come from any other source. It is all him, and has been virtually his entire life.

That’s what success requires.  It’s that resolve that takes you to heights without an ready-made path or gradual climb.  Sometimes, it requires a leap.  But it has an unexpected side-effect. Positive draws positive. Success draws success.  Elites attract elites.

Despite thick wallets and huge shopping lists, the Philadelphia 76ers were unable to attract many free agents to the roster.  While some of that could be attributed to the short term commitment desired by the team, most of the cause was the uncertainty of the team.  That uncertainty did not prevent free agents from leveraging interest from the 76ers to pad new deals with there own teams.  In the end, two few wins and too many unknowns kept free agents from calling on the team.