The Sixer Sense
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Joel Embiid will have his hands full in All-Star Skills Challenge

By Christopher Kline

PHILADELPHIA, PA -JANUARY 20: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half at Wells Fargo Center on January 20, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA -JANUARY 20: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half at Wells Fargo Center on January 20, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid will be one of four big men competing in the Skills Challenge on All-Star Saturday Night.

Reading too far into the different competitions on All-Star Saturday Night can be pointless, but Joel Embiid will find himself competing in one of the more interesting events this year. He’s one of four bigs in the Skills Challange, which consists of passing, shooting and ball handling.

Like it has for a couple of years now, the bracket will boil down to a guard v.s. a big in the final round.

I’m still of the belief that this challenge is extremely guard-friendly, even if Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis have given the bigs back-to-back wins. Speed and shooting are important, and Embiid — as skilled as he may be — doesn’t stack up too well in that regard. His competition will be pretty stiff.

Even in the big man department, Kristaps Porzingis and Lauri Markkanen are better suited to this competition on paper. They’re more fluid ball handlers, knockdown shooters, and can make the passes when needed.

Embiid has the passing acumen, but he’s a good bit slower with the ball in his hands. Again, it’s not worth over-analyzing something like this, but it just doesn’t feel like it’s playing to Embiid’s strengths.

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Assuming he does beat the other three bigs, Embiid would have to face a solid guard crop as well. Donovan Mitchell has athleticism and talent to spare, while Jamal Murray‘s recent explosion has highlighted his sharpshooting and budding point guard skills.

Spencer Dinwiddie is a Most Improved Player candidate, while Lou Williams is an arguable All-Star snub. There isn’t the brand-name value we’ve seen in years past, but this is a steady group of guards who — in theory — should hold the edge.

The actual on-court format tends to change year-to-year, but the general concept remains the same. Here’s what went down last season:

If there’s one thing we know about Embiid, though, it’s that he loves competition. The dude is going out there to win, so there will be no shortage of entertainment. He has also added elements to his game at an insanely quick rate since returning from injury, so there’s plenty of skill packed into his 7-foot-2 frame.

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After watching Nikola Jokic move like a sloth through an overgrown forest and still win a round last year, there’s room for Embiid to make some noise. If he had any semblance of a perimeter jumper, I’d really like to see Ben Simmons competing as well.