Philadelphia 76ers: This is the year Joel Embiid will realize his potential

The Process was a name given to a massive overhaul of the Philadelphia 76ers. The results have been mixed, but the brightest star to come out of this period is Joel Embiid — a player so entrenched in this journey that he assumed ‘The Process’ nickname. The 2020-21 season could be the year he realizes his potential.

Joel Embiid‘s story is well-known within the city of Philadelphia, but let me briefly recap some of the highlights (and low lights). Embiid was almost universally the consensus No. 1 draft pick leading up to the 2014 draft. However, a foot injury discovered during his pre draft exams dropped him to the 3rd pick behind Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker. The Philadelphia 76ers were thrilled to have landed the best prospect in the draft, but the foot injury and subsequent surgeries were a nightmare and Embiid would not see game action for 2 seasons after being drafted.

Then, in 2016, Embiid stepped on the hardwood for the first time and has been everything draft experts predicted in 2014. He is a walking double-double and prides himself on defense, which is typically rare for young superstars. He can take over games and bully opposing centers on the offensive and defensive side of the court.

The issue with Embiid has been his availability, either due to injury or conditioning. The most games he has played in one season is 64 which is not enough for the face and heart of a franchise. Each summer Embiid claims to be working on his conditioning, but we remain disappointed when fourth quarters come around and see lazy mistakes or him settles for jump shots. This year though, I believe will be different.

Listen to Joel talk about this past season.

He is motivated. He feels disrespected. He is back! The All-NBA snub this past year did seem ridiculous to me as well, but in fairness he regressed in all major statistical categories from his 2018 season. And as he said in the video, he wants to get back to that form.

The additions of Seth Curry and Danny Green will help space the floor in much the same way that J.J. Redick did, which helps Embiid avoid double teams in the post. If opposing teams double Embiid, they will pay with a 3-pointer. I always thought the two-man game of Redick and Embiid was unstoppable. The high pick-and-rolls made defenders choose which way they wanted to be beat and I expect Curry and Green to be able to play that same game.

There are two factors that determine Embiid’s success and whether he will realize his full potential as a top five player in the NBA this season: motivation and playing scheme. Both of these factors are leaning in his favor entering the upcoming season.

He is disappointed with how the 2018-2019 season ended on Kawhi’s shot in Game 7 and he is disappointed with the team underperforming in 2019-2020 season with a sweep by our rivals, the Boston Celtics, in the bubble. Additionally, Daryl Morey and Doc Rivers are building a team and playing scheme that will support Embiid’s strengths. This combination leads me to believe this is Embiid’s true breakout year.

The dominant big man who at one point was the best defensive player in the league, who dominated every offensive and defensive matchup given to him and had fun doing it will return this year. When that happens, the Eastern Conference is in trouble and any team looking for a Finals berth will have to go through South Philly to get there, specifically through Joel Embiid.