Philadelphia 76ers: Is Joel Embiid A Defensive Centerpiece?

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown believes Joel Embiid is the team’s future anchor on defense, but does he actually have that kind of potential?

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown gave his thoughts Thursday regarding a potential role for Joel Embiid.

The statement carries weight given the fact that Embiid hasn’t participated in a live game in nearly three years.

"“He needs to be the crown jewel, the centerpiece to our defense,” Brown told members of the media."

Last time we saw Embiid, he was in college at Kansas breaking out as a two-way center. He flashed enough potential on both ends of the floor to rise up draft boards.

Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the Philadelphia 76ers

Embiid was eventually drafted third overall by the Sixers with the hope that he’d develop into a franchise cornerstone.

He certainly has fans drooling over his potential given the recent spurt of workout videos that have surfaced on the Internet.

But all of these clips and glimpses at Embiid have only shown his work on the offensive end. Brown’s words have nothing to do regarding acting as a primary offensive weapon.

More from Philadelphia 76ers

• That escalated quickly: How the Harden-Morey situation intensified
• 3 NBA superstars with legacies on the line heading into 2023–24
• Ranking the 4 riskiest boom-or-bust NBA teams in 2023–24
• NBA Rumors: Stalled trade talks may lead to Blazers, 76ers keeping stars
• NBA Trades: This Blazers, Heat, 76ers, and Clippers swap would alter NBA

Since his last days in school, Embiid has suffered multiple foot and back injuries that would normally affect someone’s overall movement and speed.

His game defensively relies on rim protection and weak-side rotation. Per Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com, Embiid blocked 11.7 percent of his opponents’ 2-point attempts in his lone season at Kansas.

That’s a great stat to go off of in relation to what’s to come in his professional career. But does he still have that same lateral quickness and agility to affect shots in a similar way?

According to Brown, Embiid’s 7’2″ size is enough to deter scorers from coming at him in the paint on most plays. Guys are craftier at finishing around the rim in the pros, however. It takes more than pure size to excel as a rim protector in the league.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

Players like Anthony Davis and Nerlens Noel struggled at times during their rookie campaigns to effectively protect the paint. Both blocked more shots than Embiid in college, so he’ll likely struggle early on as a “centerpiece” of the defense.

The good news is that Noel is still on the 76ers and will likely start at the center position. Philadelphia will bring Embiid along slowly, so he won’t have as much pressure put on him early in the season.

Does he have the physical tools to dominate at some point in the season and in the future? Barring any further injuries absolutely. But conditioning is a huge part in excelling in any professional sport, and Embiid will take his lumps adjusting to the pace of play.

The thing about Embiid is that no one really knows what to expect from him his rookie season. He progressed so fast in college skill-wise that leads some to believe he’ll catch on quickly to the pro game.

Only time will tell regarding how well Embiid matches early expectations in his first full season in the NBA.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers: 2016-17 Season Outlook

But don’t expect defensive dominance from the beginning.