Entree V: He will average better than 3.0 blocks per game
This is probably the boldest claim of the bunch, but one that will have a strong chance of success. The NBA is going small. The 2017 NBA Draft was a backcourt draft. Players are storming the NBA from the NCAA with high scoring ideals. After all, in the NCAA, center play is fading.
But in the NBA, there are still pockets of center superiority. And without NCAA experience, you can bet the best of the NBA will feast like nobody’s business on the new talent as it arrives.
Established defender
Embiid has already established himself as quite the defender. His height and wingspan are as good as it gets in the NBA. And he uses both to their fullest advantage. While he averaged just 2.5 blocks per game last season, he managed to hit the five blocks in a game twice, and four blocks in a game four times last year.
He was still learning the game.
This year, he knows his team, his opponents, and his own capability. As such, he will be far more effective in the paint. The best of the NBA historically use the 3.0 blocks per game as the standard for elitism. So far only Manute Bol, Mark Eaton, and Hakeem Olajuwon have career averages that exceed that make. Joel Embiid could begin the next career to challenge that landmark statistic.
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