Joel Embiid is the Sixers’ long-needed alpha

Here we are Sixers fans. We are in to the second half of the season. If you’ve been under a rock, here’s a quick summary of the first half of the season for the Sixers: Joel Embiid is the best big man in the NBA and is having the best season by a center since a certain Diesel Mac truck ran over the league during the golden years of the NBA. Credit him also because Mr. O’Neal has been on record of saying that Embiid should be more dominant. Joel has answered the bell and probably added another crack in Old Liberty.

But its more than these obvious facts that we should pay attention to. The biggest change in this Sixers season has been that this team finally has an established leader: Joel Embiid. Yes, it’s been long overdue that the Sixers needed someone to take the reins and lead the team by action. That wasn’t found during Brett Brown’s tenure. Maybe Brown didn’t think that he could take that position but that’s another blog for another site. The reality was accountability and leadership were lacking within the Sixers locker room.

After years without proper leadership, the Sixers finally have a true alpha dog in Joel Embiid.

We don’t know what conversations were had between Doc Rivers, Joel Embiid, and Ben Simmons before the season, but apparently it has had a profound effect on Embiid. He has taken the role as leader on this team and allowed his game to do the talking. His teammates have responded to his play with equal enthusiasm. The Sixers lead the East and are seemingly the only team that stands in the way of the Brooklyn juggernaut.

This is a much-needed revelation for the future of the Philadelphia 76ers. Now, the Sixers front office can build around Embiid with better pieces and the championship window may not be closing as we once thought. Even still, Morey has to make a big move to compete with Brooklyn. Barring any Eastern Conference team making any real surges in the second half of the season, Brooklyn and Philadelphia are on a collision course. The difference now will be that the Sixers have an identity. That identity is found in their 7-foot-1 favorite for the 2020-21 NBA MVP. Joel Embiid is the Alpha on this team. And it was long overdue.

Crown the King!