To Max or Not to Max: Should the 76ers max Joel Embiid?

With Joel Embiid’s free agency approaching next summer, the Philadelphia 76ers have a difficult decision to make.

The Sixers Joel Embiid situation is very familiar to another in history. A situation in which a team suffered through having an extremely talented, yet injury prone center. No, I’m not talking about Greg Oden or Sam Bowie — I’m talking about the original injury prone Portland center, Bill Walton.

Philadelphia 76ers

Throughout his career, Walton was known for his on-court talents and injury troubles. On the court, Walton was an evolutionary Bill Russell. A defense-first big with excellent passing vision, Walton excelled in some of the most creative offenses of all time. Walton made his teammates better as well. At UCLA, Walton turned UCLA into one of the most efficient teams of all time. In Portland, Walton turned a Bad News Bears-type Trail Blazers team into the title contenders. In Boston, Walton anchored the second unit on one of the greatest teams of all time, the ’86 Celtics.

On the negative side, Walton was a distraction off the court. Walton had around two and a half healthy years in the league and sat out a total of THREE seasons due to foot injuries. Walton’s political activism was a huge distraction, even in Portland, one of the most progressive cities in the country. To make matters worse, Walton protested Portland’s medical treatment of his situation and as a result, sat out an entire season.

First the Cons

Walton’s pros and cons are very similar to Embiid’s. Embiid is a talented player on the court who has made a positive difference for the 76ers. He made the 76ers, a team who’s second best player was Robert Covington, into a playoff team during his time on the court. Embiid turned the Sixers into a top defensive team when he was on the court as well. You cannot say the same for former Sixers big, Nerlens Noel, who might get a max deal this offseason due to his “defensive skills”.

Off the court, Embiid could be classified as a distraction. Embiid’s love of Sam Hinkie and the process has likely irritated Bryan Colangelo, Hinkie’s successor. Embiid has openly been opposed to the minutes restriction created by the front office. Earlier in the season, Embiid even kicked a chair after being pulled out of a game over it.

Embiid’s social media presence, although great, has caused the center trouble. Early in 2017, a video of Embiid dancing shirtless at a Meek Mill concert spread throughout the internet. During this time, Embiid was injured and as a result, the action disappointed the 76ers. I mean, what organization wants their star, injury prone player to be dancing on stage at a concert?

Embiid has also only played 31 games in the past three years. There’s no great player that has played that amount of games and been fine. In the first three years of his career, Greg Oden played 82 games. In the first three years of his career, Bill Walton played in 151 games. Even Anthony Bennett played in more games than Embiid over his first three seasons.

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The only star level player that has played in as little games as Embiid is Grant Hill. During an injury prone stretch from 2001-2004, Hill played in only 43 games. This should not be viewed as a positive, as Hill remained only a role player for the rest of his career.

Embiid’s injury concerns and attitude have made the Sixers front office have concerns about maxing the Kansas product. It has the front office asking questions like can we afford to max a player with such big concerns, can this core win a title, or is it safe to have two injury-prone superstars. These concerns are very real for the Sixers.

 Pro  #1 of Maxing Joel Embiid — His Playing Style

The pros of maxing Joel Embiid are that Embiid is really good. In fact, I personally believe when healthy, Embiid is the best center in the league. His post moves rival Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin McHale. His three point shooting will stretch the floor for Ben Simmons to drive. His defense turned the Sixers into a top 5 defense.

Embiid is an evolutionary Hakeem Olajuwon. He is a guard in a big man’s body. He makes others better and briefly turned the 76ers into a playoff team. There has been no player like Embiid in the history of the NBA. That is a fact.

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Last season, Embiid averaged 20.2 points per game with 7.8 Rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in TWENTY FIVE MINUTES A GAME. Per 36, Embiid’s stats would have been 28.7 points per game with 11 rebounds and an amazing 3.5 blocks. These stats prove what a great player Joel Embiid is and will be.

Embiid is also a very efficient player. Embiid shot 46% from the field, 78% from the line and 36% from three point land. Despite having a high usage rate, Embiid was still efficient as a rookie. With time, his shooting percentages will continue to increase while his turnovers and fouls will decrease.

Ex 1: My Experience Watching Joel Embiid

Over winter break, I saw Joel Embiid play against the Brooklyn Nets. When Embiid first came out of the tunnel, the word whoa came out of my mouth. I have seen many great players play at the Wells Fargo Center, from Carmelo Anthony to Kevin Durant. Only one other player has made me say that besides Embiid. That man is LeBron James.

In person, Embiid is huge. He looks like David Robinson took Captain America’s Super- Soldier Serum. At 7-2, weighing around 275 pounds, Embiid made Brook Lopez look like TJ McConnell. Despite his appearance, Embiid moved liked a guard throughout the game. Embiid easily blocked shots throughout the game. It seemed like Embiid was in a perfect position throughout the game to make an impact. Embiid was basically the anti-Jahlil Okafor in this sense. Every drive I knew that Embiid would alter the shot in some way to prevent a Nets basket. There are only a few players that can accomplish that with total confidence.

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On the offensive end, Embiid was running a clinic. The Nets foolishly gave him space and Embiid hit one dribble jump shots from all over the court. When not given easy jump shots, Embiid was able to post up and score easy baskets. Embiid was even able to spot up and make a few threes during the game.

During that game, I could not stop watching the game when Embiid was on the floor and neither could everyone else in The Center. He was that good of a player. I know this because when Embiid dove into the crowd to get a loose ball, the crowd went silent. We were worried that something horrible had happened to our star center. Luckily, Embiid was fine and gave us this Instagram post.

Pro #2 His Personality fits the team

Joel Embiid wants to be a life-long Sixer. He loves Philadelphia and the city has turned him into the most lovable star since Julius Erving. He has turned The Process into a nickname and a way of life.

He has inspired hope into one of the most pessimistic sports cities. During the Andy Reid Era, we knew in our hearts that we would never win a Super Bowl and were proven correctly. During the Iverson era, we expected to be disappointed in the post season and were. With Embiid, the city expects a future title contender for the first time since the early 1980s. The city has never had a team that has made us excited for the future ever.

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Embiid’s fun loving personality has fit this young team well. His “battles” with Ben Simmons in video games has become the stuff of legends. His friendship with T.J.McConnell has made the Sixers fan base smile. When T.J. hit the game winner against the Knicks, Embiid sprinted to be the first player to congratulate him.

Embiid has created one of the most positive, fun Sixers teams ever. He has made everyone forget about the mediocre Iguodala era with ease. Embiid fits in perfectly with this Sixers team and wants to be the guy who leads them to the promise land.

The Verdict

Joel Embiid has some major concerns. He has yet to stay healthy in his college or professional career. His personality has gotten him in trouble before. If the Sixers max him and Embiid’s injury troubles continue, we will lack the cap space to acquire more talent.

Despite all of this, I would still use the max deal and here’s why. A healthy Embiid guarantees you a chance at the title. Realistically who in the East besides Cleveland and maybe Boston could compete with a 2017 Pick, 2018 Lakers Pick, 2019 Kings Pick, Ben Simmons, Saric, TLC, Covington, and Embiid team.

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Let’s look at the facts. Atlanta, Indiana, and Chicago are on the downswing. Charlotte, Detroit, Toronto, and potentially Miami have spent their cap space on keeping a mediocre core. Orlando and Brooklyn are years away from competing. Milwaukee has Giannis, but with Jabari Parker having his second ACL surgery, the Bucks will not be a contender unless Matthew Dellevadova becomes the next John Stockton.

Boston and Cleveland also do not have an answer for guarding Embiid. Cleveland’s best option is Tristian Thompson who is 6-9. Boston’s best option is Al Horford, a man who last postseason averaged four rebounds a game against Tristian Thompson’s Cavs. Embiid could lead the Sixers to the conference finals as early as NEXT Year.

The Sixers need to take a risk and max Embiid next offseason. If he stays healthy, the Sixers could reach the finals again soon. There are only a few players that guarantee you a title as long as you build the right core around them. Embiid is one of those players.

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In 1976-1977, the Portland Trail Blazers hit lighting in a bottle and won a title. It’s not entirely impossible that the same happens to the Sixers. We just have to hope that Embiid stays healthy for all of next season and many more seasons.