AP Photo/Frank Franklin II/dpa
Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid in full action (27/2/2022)
The story of the Philadelphia 76ers’ season-to-date is impossible to tell without mentioning the name of Ben Simmons. The 25-year-old has been one of the biggest stars of coach Doc Rivers’ team in recent years. After his harsh criticism of Simmons’ performance in the past playoffs, the Australian announced before the start of the current season that he no longer wanted to play for the “Sixers”. At least that’s the tenor of the media coverage of Simmons’ motives.
After months of speculation about his future, there was a player swap between Philadelphia and the Brooklyn Nets in early February. The latter gave James Harden, one of their top performers, to the 76ers, who in turn sent Simmons to New York. A deal that satisfied everyone involved for the time being.
One who should be particularly happy about this exchange is Joel Embiid. With Harden, the 27-year-old center now has a real superstar at his side after Simmons’ long absence. The fact that the 76ers have always been among the best teams in the Eastern Conference this season is mainly due to Embiid’s outstanding performance.
In basketball, a game where only five players per team are allowed on the field at a time, one exceptional player can make all the difference. And Embiid is one of them. At the same time, he is a prototype for two developments in the NBA in recent years: Although Embiid is 2.13 meters tall, he can handle the ball surprisingly well and even has solid statistics in three-pointers. Qualities that can increasingly be seen in great players.
In addition, Embiid is not from the USA, but was born in Cameroon. This puts him in a row with players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic or Nikola Jokic, all of whom are currently among the biggest stars in the NBA and are not American. Serbian Jokic was voted the best player in the league last season, with Embiid in second place.
“There are only a few things I can control,” Embiid said at the time, disappointed. “We’ve had a good year as a team and I’ve been a part of it. It’s disappointing because as a player you work very hard for moments like this. But again, I can’t control that.« Jokic and Embiid will probably be fighting for the most valuable player again this season. Whereby Embiid is credited with a good chance of securing the title for the first time in his career this year.
Especially since the end of last year, Embiid has turned up the heat again. “I think the biggest change in his game is that he doesn’t take as many shots anymore, but makes it clear right at the beginning of a game who is the biggest and baddest player on the pitch,” Embiid’s coach Doc Rivers said Sixers Wire.
That Embiid’s career would one day take such a positive course was not necessarily foreseeable at first. Embiid missed his first two seasons due to injury. Even today, his body often throws a spanner in the works. However, if Embiid remains largely uninjured, he may still have great things ahead of him this season.
But that also means that the 76ers are playing more successfully in the playoffs than in previous years. The signing of James Harden could be an important piece of the puzzle. The first two games of the Embiid/Harden era were each won, and the chemistry between the superstars seems to be right.
“James Harden is a basketball genius,” said Sixers manager Daryl Morey recently ESPN. “I think he always thought Joel was the perfect teammate for him.” It could be the season of big, bad Joel Embiid.
