Let’s take a look at why Joel Embiid would be an ideal star to spearhead the Tom Thibodeau and Leon Rose era for the New York Knicks.
New York Knicks owner James Dolan reportedly hired Leon Rose as president of basketball operations due to his connection with several high profile players throughout the league. Rose was the head of CAA’s basketball division before joining the Knicks organization in February.
CAA currently represents players like Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, and Danilo Gallinari. Rose’s connection to CAA has led to several reports that the New York Knicks will be interested in acquiring any or all of these players this off-season.
Joel Embiid’s offensive skillset
Although these players are fantastic, there is one CAA client that would be the perfect fit for the team next season, Joel Embiid. He has thrived in the low post throughout his professional career as he has been top 5 in the league in post-up possessions in his first three-plus seasons, averaging 11.1 post up per game.
During these post-ups, Embiid has shot 50.1 percent from the field on 4.8 shot attempts per game. Embiid’s field goal percentage has allowed him to create 7.3 points per game in the post, 30.3 percent of his scoring output.
How Joel Embiid fits into Tom Thibodeau’s offensive system
Embiid’s skillset makes him a perfect fit with newly hired head coach Tom Thibodeau, as Thibodeau runs an offensive system centered around the post up. Since 2013, his teams have been in the top 10 in post-up possessions, averaging 17.5 per game.
The majority of those post up possessions go to the big men on his roster. For example, in 2017-18, Karl Anthony Towns averaged 6.5 post-ups per game, 43.6 percent of the team’s total post-ups, as they averaged 14.9 per game during that season.
How Embiid fits into Tom Thibodeau’s defensive system
More importantly, Embiid has the skills necessary to succeed in Thibodeau’s defense. Thibodeau will often have his big man play the role of a rim protector and help defender. A prime example of this can be found midway through the three-quarter of a road game against Charlotte.
Joakim Noah left Byron Mullens unguarded near the left elbow to help on Kemba Walker. Once Walker saw Noah waiting for him, he passed the basketball to Mullens, who missed a mid-range jumper.
Embiid has thrived as a rim protector throughout his career, holding opponents to 61.8 percent shooting on field goal attempts under six feet. Embiid’s statistics are on par with Noah when he played under Thibodeau. Noah held opponents 59.8 percent shooting on shots less than six feet from 2013 to 2015.
Embiid’s defensive field goal percentage had a significant impact on Philadelphia’s defense this season as the team held opponents to 61.3 percent shooting in the restricted area with him on the floor. When head coach Brett Brown sent Embiid to the bench, Philadelphia’s defensive field goal percentage in the restricted area shot up to 66.3 percent.
Embiid also has defensive awareness of knowing when to leave the opposing center unguarded to help his teammates. During a road game against Boston earlier this year, Daniel Theis spent a significant amount of time at the top of the key as a floor spacer.
Unfortunately, Theis has yet to consistently hone the skills to succeed in the role as he has a career shooting percentage of 34 percent from behind the arc on 1.1 attempts per game. Consequently, Embiid stood in the paint as the second line of defense in case an opposing perimeter player got past his teammates.
Embiid’s awareness paid off as his presence limited Boston to 14 field goal attempts in the restricted area. This is a significant decrease from Boston’s season average of 32 field goal attempts in the restricted area.
A hypothetical trade package for Joel Embiid
New York would look to entice Philadelphia on an Embiid trade by offering Mitchell Robinson, two first-round picks along with salary filler in Julius Randle and Reggie Bullock. Rose would be inclined to include Robinson in an Embiid trade due to his affiliation with Klutch Sports Group.
Why the New York Knicks would include Mitchell Robinson in the trade
Robinson is currently represented by Klutch, which was founded by Rich Paul in 2012. Before creating Klutch, Paul worked for CAA from 2010 to 2012 as a client recruiter for Rose. Rose reportedly took a liking to Paul as he allowed Paul to sit in on conversations and occasionally talk with general managers.
More importantly, Rose allowed Paul to represent Tristan Thompson under his supervision. Unfortunately, their relationship soured in 2012 when Paul didn’t personally inform Rose that he was leaving CAA to create Klutch. It appears that they have yet to mend fences as Rose decided to release Klutch client Allonzo Trier last month.
In conclusion, the combination of the team hiring Thibodeau as their new head coach and Embiid’s affiliation with CAA makes him the ideal high profile for New York.