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Most teams in the league are lucky to have one All-Star on their team. The Philadelphia 76ers are fortunate enough to say they have two of them and one of them is one of–if not the best–centers the game has to offer.
Joel Embiid may not have been his usual jolly self in the 2019-20 season, but that does not mean that he wasn’t dominant. The big fella was named a starter for the All-Star game for the third straight season as he was terrific on the floor and he was productive.
2019-20 season averages
23.0 points
11.6 rebounds
3.0 assists
1.3 blocks
47.7% overall percentage
33.1% from deep
Embiid’s scoring average dropped from 27.5 down to the 23 this season, but that was mostly due to the fact that he had to change his game in order to adapt to playing with Al Horford as well as trying to grow with Ben Simmons. There were plenty of stretches where Embiid looked like he did not care and that he was somewhat going through the motions. He’s the leader of this team and he sets the tone. The team then follows suit so that is something that needs to be addressed.
“Even in the playoffs, our intensity level at times wanes,” acknowledged general manager Elton Brand. “A few offensive rebounds that Boston got that I’m just befuddled how you can get that easy in the playoffs or missed assignments for a switch, a small-small switch, just little things that I thought, regular season, on the road, we’ll fix those in the playoffs we’ll be able to turn it on.”
Then, there were games where Embiid would actually show up and take over just like when he scored a career-high 49 points in a win over the Atlanta Hawks. It is that inconsistent effort that continues to be brought up when discussing the big fella. However, there is no question that he is one of the top talents the game has to offer.
In the playoffs, Embiid had to throw the Sixers on his back on multiple occasions as he had to carry a heavy load on offense with Simmons out. He averaged 30 points and 12.3 rebounds in the series, but Philadelphia was swept. The good thing is, he showed that he cannot be stopped when the time calls for it. The Celtics truly did not have an answer for him.
For the 2020-21 season, Embiid needs to be ready from the jump. He can no longer just go through the motions and then flip the switch when the time calls for it. He is too talented to just accept that. He needs to keep up the intensity night in and night out and really set an example for his teammates. [lawrence-related id=37318,37315,37308]