Joel Embiid Believes Dario Saric Should be the Rookie of the Year

Philadelphia 76ers rookie center Joel Embiid believes that his teammate Dario Saric, not himself, should be the Rookie of the Year.

For the entire year, it seemed like Philadelphia 76ers‘ rookie center Joel Embiid was the runaway leader for the Rookie of the Year award. Despite not appearing in any back-to-back games and being limited on minutes for the entire season, he was incredibly impactful, and quite clearly the sole reason that the Sixers had matched their win total from the season prior far before the All-Star break.

After the All-Star break, though, as the Rookie of the Year race was going to heat up with some sleepers from the first half finally hitting their groove, Embiid’s campaign ended. Embiid, after appearing in 31 games, was sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a meniscus tear that started as “slight” and was later discovered to be worse than initially thought.

Still, the idea of Embiid being the Rookie of the Year lingers. Did he do enough in those 31 games? With most players this would be a definitive “no” but with Embiid, he has been crazy good. Maybe 31 games was enough.

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He’s not caught up in what he was able to do, though. He’s focusing on the next man up to get the award, and it just so happens to be his teammate, Dario Saric, a rookie out of Croatia.

Saric took some time to adjust to the United States version of the game, but after the All-Star break, and without Embiid to lead the way, has really been stellar. Saric hasn’t scored less than double digit points since February 4, and over the last 15 games, is averaging 20.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.

Here’s what Embiid had to say after he watched Saric’s 29 point performance from the bench:

“He’s the Rookie of the Year!” Embiid exclaimed as he interrupted Saric’s post-game interview with Molly French.

Saric couldn’t help but smile.

His coach, Brett Brown, told the media that Embiid saying that about Saric is not anything new in the locker room.

“It doesn’t surprise me, I’ve heard Joel say that,” Brown said.

He also said something that is comforting for the Sixers:

"“It confirms out belief that one of those two is going to end up with the Rookie of the Year [Award].”"

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No matter how the award voting plays out, the Sixers, as a team, are confident in where it will land — Philadelphia. The fans certainly are, too. And with good chances that the team will have a Rookie of the Year next year as well, the future is incredibly bright for pro basketball in the City of Brotherly Love.