Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has served up a 31 game appetizer to starving fans. The 2017-2018 season will be the main course. Actually five main courses
The Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid delivered just 31 NBA games in three of his four year NBA rookie contract. As such, there are plenty of skeptics over the significance of his play, his durability, and his long-term career in the NBA.
For those who enjoy keeping score, the injuries break out this way. On one hand, you have two seasons with foot surgery. On the other hand, you have 51 games from a minor meniscus tear. While neither is related, it matters not to the NBA community at large. And there is enough cause to be skeptical.
Conservation of resources
But the Philadelphia 76ers have done things the right way so far. Impatience is not in their vocabulary where Joel Embiid is concerned. He is the keystone. Other teams have great standouts in their backcourts. Other NBA teams have phenomenal talents at the wings. But the Philadelphia 76ers believe that no other championship caliber team has a center to match up with Embiid.
And they are correct.
Some teams have manned the position with a rim protector. Others have turned to the role as an offensive engine. But no team has found success in post season with a center who can do both at the level of Joel Embiid. And so, the 2016-2017 season became a simple decision of saving the best talent for the best opportunity. That opportunity is this season.
Now, for the rest of the story.
Star rising
In 31 games, on restricted minutes, Joel Embiid left no doubt that he not only is NBA worthy, but that he can be a true elite NBA star for the Philadelphia 76ers this year. Let’s recap what his 31 game stats ended at:
Joel Embiid averaged just 25.4 minutes per game. That comes in at seventh for the team last season. To place this into perspective, small forward Alex Poythress played more minutes per game last season for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Team leader
Despite fewer minutes, Embiid led the team in scoring with 20.2 points per game as a rookie. In fact, he led the team by nearly six points per game over the next top scorer. But his impact did not stop there. He also led the team with 7.8 rebounds, 2.45 blocks, sixth with 2.1 assists, and fourth with .87 steals per game.
After a season of short duration and high production, what can he deliver as a suitable encore?
Here are five entrees the Cameroon center will serve up for the fans this year.
Entree I: Better than 60 games and 27 minutes per game average
The first step to unleashing the full impact of Joel Embiid is to get his appearances and playing time up. Way up. But it doesn’t need to happen right out of the gates, nor it bunches. The team can plan to build Joel Embiid’s impact up to the play-offs. That means rotations, and the Philadelphia 76ers have the versatility to pull that off better than any team.
Last season, the team didn’t know what the team had in either of the two red-shirted rookies: Embiid or Dario Saric. Now, the team has a pretty solid understanding that each player can be significant contributors to the success of the club.
Advantage for scheduling
Knowing that give the Sixers a distinct advantage. Joel Embiid needn’t play 82 games to propel into the playoffs. But he must double last season’s appearances at a minimum.
But the team can pre-plan rotations early enough in the year to keep Embiid fresh. Back to backs should be the first scheduling item to investigate sitting Embiid, or sharply reducing his minutes. But long road trips would qualify as well. The ultimate goal is to have Joel Embiid at his peak performance when playoff games begin. The Philadelphia 76ers have plenty of solid talent capable of holding down the fort on his nights off.
Entree II: 25 points per game average
While it may seem like a huge jump from 20.2 points per game up to 25 points, keep in mind that his duration on the basketball court was capped. With less restrictive caps on his playing time, all of his statistics will rise.
But there is more at work than just upping the ante on playing time. Joel Embiid is one of the most focused NBA players in the modern era. As he plays, he learns, he grows, he develops, he improves. After an embarrassing lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves on a nationally televised game, Embiid came out to lead the Sixers to victory over that same team.
Scoring leader
At January 2017, he averaged 23.4 points per game and was improving all the time. At that time, the team did not have
Now, the roster has other players who can score. Watch for the impact of J.J. Redick on this team. His play-making will force defenders to choose defending him at the perimeter or Embiid in the paint. If they choose Embiid, Redick will crush them from the perimeter.
If they choose Redick, Embiid will shine.
Entree III: 9.0 rebounds per game average
While this may not appear like much of a bump from his 7.8 rebounds per game, keep in mind that the team will have the likes of Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Robert Covington, and J.J. Redick on the court as well. The rebound total for the team will increase, but Embiid will only play a small part in that.
Joel Embiid is a very aggressive defender. And it’s that aggressiveness paired with his size that give the Philadelphia 76ers D such a huge boots.
Ben means boards too
But with Ben Simmons in the lineup, Embiid will be relieved of the perimeter defense. It will be Simmons who challenges at the arc. As the team places bodies on bodies at the three, many offenses will send guards to charge the hoop. That will play into the 76ers defense.
As the team spaces around the basket, you can expect JoJo to get his share of the boards. And with talented teammates on the court, he will be happy to share the load.
Entree IV: He will flirt with a nearly 40 percent three-point accuracy (38 percent or better)
Converse to his scoring trajectory improving as the season wore on, Embiid’s three-point shooting accuracy debuted at 50 percent at the opening of the season. But as team’s discovered that he had one of the hotter hands at the perimeter, they began to challenge that shot. His shooting accuracy from three-point range began to plummet.
This season, the team has added plenty of perimeter hot-hands in the form of Markelle Fultz and J.J. Redick. Meanwhile, the team continues to emphasize the perimeter shooting of wings Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Furkan Korkmaz.
Hit em where they ain’t
So how does that help Embiid’s three-pointer? Well the team will have Ben Simmons, whose prowess is near the basket, and Markelle Fultz with his crazy drives. Both are capable of drawing plenty of defenders into the basket, and then dishing out a good looking three to Embiid
As the Sixers learned last year, it doesn’t need to result in 30 points to mess up the opponent’s defense. Pull the D out and let the team work the ball close.
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.
Next: 7 reasons why the Sixers will be better than the Lakers
Five menu items from the Philadelphia 76ers kitchen of center Joel Embiid. Hope you are hungry Philadelphia!