The one lock for the 2016-17 NBA season is, barring injury, Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. Embiid will be crowned Rookie of the Year (ROY), and we’re not even at the halfway point yet.
For the big man from Cameroon, with a brief stint at the powerhouse University of Kansas, it has been a lengthy and frustrating wait to make his mark on the league since being drafted back in 2014 as the third overall selection.
After breaking the navicular bone in his foot before the 2014-15 season, Embiid again underwent surgery on the same foot, ending any hope of playing in 2015-16.
When Embiid is crowned ROY, he will be just the fourth player born outside of the United States to have won the award while also breaking the Minnesota Timberwolves’ stranglehold with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns winning in 2014-15 and 2015-16, respectively. For the record, Pau Gasol (2001-02) was the first non-US born player (born in Spain).
The highly touted 22-year-old, despite coming back from a foot injury, has an advantage over his fellow rookies. He has had two seasons to watch and learn from the best players in the best league in the world.
Embiid’s talent combined with what he has learnt from his time off the court, are the reasons why he will join many of the greats of the game to be awarded the ROY.
Embiid’s story is similar to that of the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin.
Drafted as the first overall pick in the 2009 draft out of the University of Oklahoma, Griffin missed the 2009-10 season due to stress fractures (broken left kneecap revealed after further Tests) in his knee and subsequent surgery. As is the case for Embiid, the NBA confirmed Griffin would retain his ROY eligibility as he hadn’t played any regular season games.
In his rookie year, Griffin played in the NBA All-Star Game, the Rookie Challenge, and won the dunk competition (during the All-Star weekend). He was crowned the ROY at seasons end (finished the year with states of 22.5 PPG, 12.1 RPG, and 3.8 assists (APG)).
Embiid, throughout 21 games played, is averaging 18.7 points per game (PPG), 7.4 rebounds (RPG), and 2.4 blocks (BPG) which place him fourth in the league: similar to Towns’ stats last season.
He currently averages more than his teammate and second-best rookie scorer, Dario Saric and ten ahead of Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray. Aside from Embiid, no rookie averages one or more BPG.
Another element in Embiid’s arsenal is his ability to shoot from the three-point line.
Although he will never be a Steph Curry or Ray Allen from deep, Embiid has made one or more three-pointers including multiple games with three made shots, and one game of four successful attempts: not bad for a 7’0” centre.
It’s easy to say Embiid’s numbers are purely because he’s on the league’s worst team (the 76ers currently sit last with seven wins and 23 losses), however he has performed solidly (for a veteran, let alone a rookie) against the best big men in the game including 25 points, eight rebounds and two blocks against the Sacramento Kings and their two-time NBA All Star, DeMarcus Cousins.
Australian and first overall draft selection (2016) Ben Simmons is a teammate of Embiid.
Simmons is yet to make his NBA debut after fracturing a metatarsal bone of his right foot prior to the season’s tipoff. He is expected to make an appearance in January or February 2017.
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