Philadelphia 76ers fans ask the following questions about their potential star rookie: Is the NBA ready for “him”? Will “he” be the rookie of the year this season?
Yet this has nothing to do with the most recent number one draft pick and potential rookie of the year candidate Ben Simmons.
This is all about the great unknown that is Joel Embiid.
Drafted number third in the 2014 NBA draft, Embiid has had nothing but question marks over his head after suffering a long-term foot injury.
When will he play? Is he finally ready? He has been looked at as an urban legend. To many this young big guy is meant to be the next best big man to come in to the NBA.
All of that talk so far has been for nothing. Joel has been injured since before he was drafted. On draft night he had a lower back and foot fracture yet had shown enough in college to make Philadelphia take the gamble.
The injury to his foot was a bad one and the following season he broke the same bone, the dreaded navicular bone which has cost many NBA players as well as other sporting stars from around the globe to retire early or never fulfil their promise.
NBA All Star Yao Ming was one of those affected by the navicular bone and was forced to retire from the injury.
Philadelphia has done everything they can possibly do to make sure Joel Embiid is healthy enough to play and with word coming from Joel Embiid directly that he is 100% healthy the time might be now to start discussing how he will play and fit into the Sixers plans.
Based on talent alone Embiid is the sure fire starting centre for the Sixers when he is ready to take it. In his days at Kansas he was compared to the great Hakeem Olajuwon which in itself is crazy but when you watched him he was very reminiscent of an early Olajuwon.
He had the footwork and post moves as well as a great touch around the rim with both hands. Who will ever forget his dream shake he was doing in some college games?
It is no secret Philadelphia have a log jam in the front of the court with Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Ben Simmons, Robert Covington and Jerami Grant all able to play that 4/5 position, even if they may be undersized.
It will be hard to juggle the minutes early for coach Brett Brown. If everything goes the way it is expected then Embiid may very well be the starting centre for the team with Noel, a strong defender, as backup, or moving down to the power forward position.
Philadelphia have been stockpiling these big men knowing at some point Embiid will be healthy and they can use the others for trade bait.
Joel Embiid has had some serious injuries and they will more than likely always be a risk for him going forward, we have seen it time and time again especially in the big men.
However the reward for Embiid getting anywhere near the level that he was expected to when he was drafted far outweighs any risk the Sixers have if he can never fulfil the potential.
Right now we can only go one what we have heard from him and Coach Brett Brown and that is he is almost a certainty to play in preseason games and if all goes well he will be suiting up in the season opener against Oklahoma City.
Time will tell what happens with Joel Embiid but we are used to that with him it has been 3 years of waiting to see how good this guy will be I think we can all wait just a little bit longer.
Sam Walker
Roar Guru
They got rid of Landry so they have one less player that needs any minutes (although he would of got very little anyway). Philly have in recent years just worried about getting the best player they can so they have it as a trade asset, what they forgot to do was showcase the players skills in a manner that makes them attractive to other teams. Okafor looks like a solid player but all the stuff he went through last year and now no one wants to touch him. Noel is the most attractive asset right now but Philly is either playing hardball or just no one truly wants him. Philly won't make playoffs this season or even next but if they can get some other good talent around them (at positions other than C or PF) then i think they can be a team you won't automatically list as an easy win.
Master Chief
Roar Pro
Swampy, nor do I. Right now they have a serious log jam with their big men and failed to off load any of them as asset bait. They're seriously unbalanced all over the court. The argument is do you draft the best player available or assess your needs based on team balance ?
Swampy
Guest
You mean 'had an NBA ready body' I honestly don't understand what they are doing at Philly - it's like they're building the world's biggest airport but have no roads or rail connecting to it.
Rodney Smith
Roar Rookie
I've been waiting to see this guy since draft night. He's got an NBA ready body and he had an incredible drive to play. Really hoping this goes well for him and he doesn't turn out to be another Greg Oden or Brandon Roy. Also, Philly looking promising for playoffs