NBA: Top 10 Candidates For Rookie Of The Year Award In 2016-17

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver holds a basketball while posing for a photo with draft prospects from left Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) , Ben Simmons (LSU), Brandon Ingram (Duke) and Kris Dunn (Providence) before the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

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Sep 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Joel Embiid

To be honest, most Philadelphia 76ers fans would just be content with Joel Embiid playing 60-70 games and staying healthy in his long-awaited rookie season. But if The Ringer and all those pre-draft Hakeem Olajuwon comparisons are to be believed, Embiid could finally burst onto the scene once he’s given his first opportunity.

Over the last two years, Embiid has been recovering from a broken bone in his foot. He’s never played a single NBA game, nor has he suited up once for Summer League. But as much as rust, fatigue and conditioning will be an issue for him, expectations are still sky-high.

That’s probably unfair to Embiid, who hasn’t played an official game of basketball in two years now. But now that he’s back to scrimmaging with the Sixers, the early results have been promising, and it’s no secret that Philly has him far lower than Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel in the Centers We Probably Need To Trade Soon power rankings.

Okafor is a tremendous back-to-the-basket scorer, and Noel is a future Defensive Player of the Year in the making, but Embiid is the best of both worlds with a higher ceiling. If he can just stay healthy, he may take advantage of the opportunity to start from day one.