What did Players, Coaches, and Others Around the League Have to Say About Philadelphia 76ers Center Joel Embiid and his Rookie Season?
It was an electrifying rookie season for Philadelphia 76ers’ Center Joel Embiid. On one hand, in just 31 games, Embiid left an indelible mark on the league. On the other hand, he may still win the Rookie of the Year Award. In fact, he may win despite playing less than half of the lowest number of minutes a winner of the award has ever played.
In fact, Both the traditional and advanced stats speak wonders about Embiid’s impact. but perhaps no metric is as telling as the respect and admiration from his direct competition. And so, let’s check in on what players, coaches and others had to say about Joel this year:
Players:
- LeBron James:
- “He’s going to be really good. I mean, he’s already good, but he’s going to be really, really good. As the games go on, you get more and more games, you get more of a feel for the games. He’ll be a really good player in the league.”
- Looks like Embiid’s Twitter courting of LeBron may be paying off.
- Quote courtesy of: Metro Philadelphia
- James Harden:
- “Offensively, he’s just skilled, man. He’s probably the most skilled big man we have in this league, man. Shooting the 3 at a high level, 7-2, finishing about the basket, making plays for his teammates. And then defensively, he blocked my shot. He’s everywhere, man. He has a bright future and Philly has got something special here.”
- Quote courtesy of: CBSSports.com
- DeMarcus Cousins:
- “I like that kid a lot. (You know that) I don’t give a lot of people props, but I like that kid a lot. I think he got a great chance of being the best big in this league…after I retire.”
- This was post-spanking match, by the way.
- Quote courtesy of: NESN
- Jamal Crawford:
- Crawford does not give out props easily. Around the four minute mark in this interview, Crawford talks about the importance of earning the respect of his peers.
- Embiid liked the tweet to show his appreciation.
- John Wall:
- “He’s skilled. He can shoot the ball, put the ball on the floor, he’s got great footwork.”
- Wall later went on to say that he will continue to attack Embiid at the basket, saying “I don’t care who he is.”
- Quotes courtesy of: CSNPhilly Carmelo Anthony:
- “For me as a fan, it’s good to see him back out there. We need young guys like that as a part of this league.”
- Anthony went on to say, “Trust the Process.”
- Quote courtesy of: CSNPhilly
- Gregg Popovich:
- “Obviously both of those guys are very talented. I don’t know Mr. Embiid like I know Mr. Duncan, so I don’t know what makes him tick or what he’s made of or what his character is like. But if that character, that hunger, that work ethic and that maturity exists, he and Brett will be a great match.”
- Quote courtesy of: CSNPhilly
- Jeff Hornacek:
- “Embiid’s a big factor in there with his size, his abilities to clog the lane defensively, and then offensively to make you do things that you have to to keep him out of the paint. He’s long — he’s going to finish in there.”
- Quote courtesy of: CSNPhilly
- Alvin Gentry:
- “He’s different than anybody that’s been in this league in a long, long time. He’s a tremendous talent, he really is. I’ve never seen a guy that size, and with that kind of strength, that’s got such a soft touch. He shoots the ball with the touch of like Steph Curry. It’s so soft when it leaves his hand.”
- Quote courtesy of: CSNPhilly
- Brad Stevens:
- “I watched him when he was a 16-year-old, out of Gainesville growing up. The amount of strides he made in an 18-month stretch between that point and (when he attended) Kansas was incredible…He just has some gifts that other people don’t have so he’s got a real chance to be good, that’s for sure.”
- Quote courtesy of: Masslive.com
- Jason Kidd:
- “Embiid is a very special, talented player. If he was playing, he probably would have run away with because he is a dominant player.”
- Quote courtesy of: NBA.com
- Stan Van Gundy:
- “He’s a 20-point-a-game guy who’s only playing 25 minutes a game to get his 20 points. That’s a high level of production in just over half the game. The guy’s been tremendous. What can he not do?”
- Quote courtesy of: Detroit Free Press
- Erik Spoelstra:
- “He was fantastic in those 31 games, head and shoulders above all the rest in those games.”
- Quote courtesy of: NBA.com Billy Donovan:
- “He’s hard to guard. (And) He’s herky-jerky. He’s got a lot of (Hakeem) Olajuwon to him.”
- Quote courtesy of: Slam Online
- Charles Barkley:
- “Joel Embiid, he’s great for the league. They gonna be monsters if they can stay healthy for the next 10 to 15 years.”
- Quote courtesy of: CBS Philadelphia
- Shaquille O’Neal:
- “He’s playing good, but I think a lot of people will say, is he only doing it because he’s playing a little bit.”
- Quote courtesy of: UPROXX
- Bill Simmons:
- “Really huge. He moves like Olajuwon. But he’s huge. And he shoots 3s. We couldn’t stop him. He almost won the game. He’s huge. He’s so huge. You gotta see him, he’s huge. He’s amazing. He’s so huge”
- Quote courtesy of: CBS Philadelphia
- Tim Legler:
- “Embiid has the potential to be a star in the NBA”
- Quote courtesy of: ESPN Radio
- Donald Trump:
(Okay… Just Kidding)
Embiid has made an astonishing impact during his rookie year, and hopefully the Philadelphia 76ers’ Center will continue to do so and fulfill the expectations set forth by his peers.
(H/T: CSN, Detroit Free Press, NBA.com, theringer.com, NESN, UPROXX, CBS Philadelphia, Slam Online, Metro Philadelphia, CBSSports.com, ESPN Radio)
And of course, there are the television personalities. You know who they are, the color commentators and pundits, even former players, who add perspective to the game. What are their thoughts?
More:
What about the other personalities of the game? Players take care of players, but coaches who must plan and scheme tend to be more pragmatic about embellishing opponents too much.
Coaches:
- “He’s skilled. He can shoot the ball, put the ball on the floor, he’s got great footwork.”