The NBA Draft always has a ton of debates. Like who should have gone number 1 in a certain draft or how would a re-do of that draft look like? Well, how about who was the best player at each specific pick in NBA history.
The Athletic is continuing their series of looking at each draft slot in NBA history and they are currently at pick number 3 in the draft. At that slot, the Philadelphia 76ers selected a certain 7-foot big man out of Kansas who has blossomed into a solid player.
Joel Embiid has built himself a nice career despite missing the first two full seasons of his career with foot injuries. His work in the league has earned him the ranking of 13 of all the number 3 picks in NBA history.
The Athletic on Embiid:
We had to wait two full seasons until Embiid played in a real NBA game and even then we only got 31 contests from him his rookie season. But since then, he’s proven to be one of the most dynamic players in the league. When everybody was saying the big man is dead, Embiid helped revive giants in the NBA during an era in which so many teams are trying to play small ball. He’s one of the best defensive forces in the league and he’s overwhelming physically when he wants to. The problem with Embiid is still wondering if he’s going to be in good enough shape to bring titles to Philadelphia.
The big man has career averages of 24.1 points and 11.5 rebounds on his way to being named an All-Star three times, an All-NBA member twice, and an All-Defensive Team member twice. He is set to help the Sixers contend for a championship in 2020 as the NBA gets set to resume in Orlando in late July. [lawrence-related id=33103,33087,33080]