Hoops Habit mock draft for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game
Joel Embiid
Despite the perimeter renaissance the league continues to dive deeper into with each season, there is still a place and a need for an interior presence, and there aren’t many better options available than Joel Embiid.
Embiid is the rarest breed of seven-footers. Sure, he can bully nearly everyone near the bucket for easy looks around the rim, but even more impressive are the moves outside the restricted area. The 3-pointers, Euro-steps and impeccable footwork are all rolled up into a single player that makes him as dominant a force as we have in the game today.
Conversely, he’s just as versatile on the defensive end, corralling smaller guards on one possession and then swatting a shot three rows deep the next. Health was his only concern early on, and with that question seemingly answered, Embiid now possess questions for the rest of the league.
While most players would likely tone down the intensity in the All-Star game, Embiid is the one to crank it even higher. The king of trash talk, he wants to go out there and prove to all watching that he is not only the best big man in the game but also one of the league’s top players, even if it means embarrassing his peers along the way.