Philadelphia 76ers: Supporting The Joel Embiid Choice
By Shane Young
What about Mr. Future Hakeem?
Embiid wasn’t even the highest rated prospect on his team heading into the 2013-14 NCAA season. Andrew Wiggins stole that show, mainly because wing athletes are better hype targets.
Bill Self’s big man rose on everyone’s rankings strictly due to his performance, before being sidelined before the NCAA Tournament due to the bad back.
He’s unlike anything I’ve seen in my lifetime. Does that say anything? I was just being born when Olajuwon captured his two NBA titles in 1994 and ’95, and it’s a shame. Of course, there’s going back to watch film and listening to viewpoints on his game, but there’s nothing quite like viewing one of the top five at a position operate — in real time. Olajuwon rarely gets the praise he deserves as a top 10 player this game has held, but that’s okay. Embiid will remind those who did watch Hakeem work in the paint.
Nobody will ever have Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s sky hook again, or Shaq’s manhandling post presence. But, most big men nowadays are learning to adopt a jump hook, and only a select few can be proficient with it using both hands.
Embiid has no hesitation once he grabs an entry pass, and can immediately create space for his turnaround hook. He might not be close to 300 pounds of bulk, but creating the space and elevation to get off one of his fondest shots isn’t a problem:
You honestly fail to understand how Kansas wasn’t more successful in the regular season than they already were, especially with that talent in the middle. Above, you see how Embiid is able to finish over the top, and over his shoulder. It’s just one of many instances this season, but he was always able to draw a swarm of bees due to his efficiency.
Per 40 minutes in his freshmen season for the Houston Cougars, Olajuwon averaged 16.9 points, 12.6 boards, 5.1 blocks, and shot 60.7 percent from the floor.
Embiid? 19.4 points, 14 boards, 4.5 rejections, all while shooting 62.6 percent. You’d be delusional to say “the comparisons to All-Time greats need to stop.” The fact of the matter is, he earned them during his only season in college. He has a chance, and we probably felt the same exact way when Hakeem was ripping through the collegiate level.
Something I thought Embiid did in a more distinguished manner than any other big in this 2014 class, was keep the ball high.
A lot of times when guys receive entry passes, they freak out, become nervous and tentative. If you don’t have to bring the ball down and put it on the floor, don’t. It makes things more efficient, and harder for the opposition to guard you — definitely when you’re six or seven inches taller than everyone around you:
You see how little time Embiid wastes. He picked up basketball at the age of 16, simply because Luc Mbah a Moute found the talented young man. For only playing the sport for four years, he’s picked up on the speed & qualities most guys take 7+ years to develop. He appears polished, and you never hear that about a 20-year-old center.
Seriously, everyone knows where the ball is going on the lob entry. Defenders swarmed into Embiid as if he had honey in his pocket, and he knew how to handle it:
If he does anything except keep the ball high in these situations, he’d be a turnover machine and unsustainable in the paint. The NBA misses these kind of bigs, and hopefully he can make it a resurgence.
Another glory about the youngster?
When he does need to put the floor, it’s not appalling. It’s actually beautiful, and Embiid seems to know exactly what to do depending on where he’s positioned on the floor:
The spin to the left just takes your breath away, really, and no this is not a love fest. Embiid has that quick movement you need in order to pull off nifty moves in the post. With his back to the basket — and solid defenders on him every night — he would find his way to clear a path for a shot.
You see, it doesn’t take him 3-4 unnecessary dribbles to get in position, or clear a defender. His strides are so long, combined with a wingspan only created by God, that one dribble gets him around the defender, and into an athletic finish. Embiid’s body is the right size that makes him mobile, all while being strong enough to finish in traffic.
On the opposite side of the ball — defensively — it just becomes too difficult to work against a guy with great footwork. Don’t forget, footwork goes both ways in this game. The lateral ability to stay on his toes defensively, not allowing his man to get by off the dribble, is close to perfect:
He’s masterful at staying in front of his defender, while remaining straight up (verticality) when a shot goes up. Sometimes, he gambles a lot on getting the rejection, but that’s one of the easiest things to fix, and teach. Still, the raw talent is superb.
On all facets of defense, he was off this planet in his freshman year. There was the meetings at the rim that were almost as gratifying and heart-stopping as Roy Hibbert facing LeBron, as we see here:
The most overlooked aspect of Embiid’s play, for me, has been his involvement in the passing lanes as a defender. If you’ve watched him at all during the season, you know how much he terrorized his competition. Seriously, guys probably wanted to flee like it was the scene of a homicide. You couldn’t do anything against him:
For Embiid, gambling defensively wasn’t ever a bad thing. He always knew he would be quicker than the man he’s defending, thus giving him a grace period where he could always recover if needed. If he didn’t get a steal in a passing lane, he could trust his feet and wingspan to stop the guy at the rim. Most of the time, however, his defense was suffocating enough.
How about that thought earlier, of him being able to stretch the defense and incorporate a jumper? It would help the cause if Brown is going to put Noel and Embiid in the game together.
Funny how that works, isn’t it:
Embiid sets the screen for teammate Naadir Tharpe, who receives the traditional hedge from Georgetown. At this time, Embiid’s jumper wasn’t respected enough. But honestly, whose would be at that size, when he’s been praised for his interior game?
He can still make you pay this way:
Embiid connected on a respectable amount of his jumpers, especially the ones that came out of screen roll situations. In the NBA, we know that’s a common trend in offenses, and more big men (no matter their size) are developing mid-range shots. With Embiid being effective inside and out, on both ends, it’s a wrap for who Philadelphia’s future belongs to.
Dr. Ben Wedro explained that with the case of Embiid’s injured foot, it could have implications on the rest of his career.
He stated that if the cause of the injury was truly “bone insufficiency,” it would mean that Embiid’s bones in his feet aren’t going to be able to support the weight on his body. That could stand in the way of him bulking up, gaining a ton of muscle.
Sam Hinkie took a risk on Thursday by drafting this once-in-a-lifetime center. By doing so, he took a gamble, and left the 76ers’ future up in the air.
That’s how Philadelphia loves to operate today, though …. completely focused on chance.
**Statistical support credited to NBA.com**
Shane Young is an NBA credentialed writer for 8 Points, 9 Seconds and HoopsHabit.com. For all Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, or general NBA coverage, follow @YoungNBA and @HoopsHabit on Twitter.