Is Joel Embiid ready to lead these Philadelphia 76ers?

The natural leader of the Philadelphia 76ers is center Joel Embiid. But is he ready to lead this team?

Leadership can mean a lot of things depending who you talk to, who you are talking about, and the situation involved. So it falls to reason that when you talk about  it falls to reason that the leader is Joel Embiid.  So what if the young man is only a 31 game veteran of the NBA?  So what if his history of basketball play is extremely shallow in the grand perspective.  When it comes to the doings of the 76ers, Joel Embiid is a good barometer of the team.

But there is a distinct difference between barometer, and leader.  A barometer is the passive indicator.  So which is Joel Embiid?  And after that distinction is made, then the more difficult test: is he ready?

In short, the old military adage is: Lead, Follow, or Get Out Of The Way!  Is Joel Embiid a leader or follower?

Leader, Reader, Impeder?

Well, to determine whether he leads or reads the team, let’s focus on the social media aspect of Joel Embiid. Specifically, let’s revisit one tweet indicating a little tiff between himself and Lavar Ball:

It’s fairly clear from this exchange that he is not reading the team, but rather leading the team.  In fact, that is pretty clear in most of his social media statements. He does not shirk from setting high goals for his team. He does not avoid campaigning for the NBA All-Star game, or for the NBA Rookie of the Year award.

Enlightened Despot

But even more importantly, he speaks up for his teammates. He tells the world that a 10 win team yet to hit a winning streak is playoff capable. Then, the team delivers a January 2017 to back him up.

Daily Knicks

But the moment which crystallized Joel Embiid’s significance to team executives, coaching staff, and teammates was the way he inserted himself during the controversy over Nerlens Noel and the team. Others tried. Elton Brand tried to play peace maker. He failed.

As you recall, Nerlens Noel was quite frustrated with the time allocations at center, and allowed that frustration to become public.  He removed himself from the rotation and opted to elective surgery, placing a huge burden on the coaching staff, already constrained by limited playing time for two other centers. The situation was slowly eroding on both sides until Joel Embiid intervened.

Joel stands up for Noel

Or rather, Joel endorsed Noel. In a loud, eloquently stated, way:

The endorsement stood in the midst of emotions and frustrations. As an outsider looking in, I was astonished that a young man in his rookie season could express the sage wisdom of a seasoned veteran.

Astonished yet. But more. The Philadelphia 76ers needed a true leader. In that singular, undeniable moment, Joel Embiid became that person.

Lead by example

Now, let’s ground all of this social media chatter to the reality of the game. It all begins and ends on the basketball court. If Joel Embiid does not show up in such a way that propels the imagination of fans, coaches, and executives to flirt with visions of championships won on his back, it is all for naught.

Social media takes on a life of its own. To lead a team, that honor is bestowed by backing up what you say on the basketball court.  After an embarrassing loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves early in the 2016-2017 season 110-86, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid said the team would win the next meeting.

Embiid turns spotlight to teammate

The next contest nearly went into overtime, but Joel Embiid set a high screen as time ran out which gave Robert Covington the opportunity to shoot the buzzer-beater for the win. Embiid, with 25 points in that January 3, 2017 contest, showed the most important aspect of leadership.

He shined the spotlight on a teammate in need, Robert Covington.  Covington struggled for much of that game at 4-14 from the floor, including 1-9 shooting from three-point range. But Embiid never hesitated.  January 2017 turned out rather successful for the team.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers can win games if Joel Embiid limited playing minutes

So we can discuss or debate the true leader of this team.  But there is no question in the minds of teammates like Dario Saric, T.J. McConnell, Robert Covington, or Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot.  Joel Embiid leads. And they will follow that lead wherever it takes them.

Can Joel Embiid lead this team all the way to the playoffs? Well NBA, ready or not, here they come.