What To Do With Joel Embiid, Sixers ? (8-18-20)

By: Tyrone Montgomery Jr.

Headline Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Joel Embiid has proven to be a dominant force in the NBA. He is arguably the best center in basketball. While others argue about the matter, the truth is… Joel Embiid is the best center in basketball. The only obstacle that stands in his way is health. At 7’0, weighing 280 pounds, Joel’s ultimate challenge is his very own body. There is no wonder why he is so dominant. It’s no secret Joel likes to eat. There was once a time where we seen him eating a cheeseburger courtside right before a game he started in and played well in. People often question is he in shape or not. At that size, it’s challenging to always remain in shape. The fact of the matter is he could be in better shape. But let’s face it, we all could be in better shape, including other NBA Players as well. You know, when cooking, we could have all of our ingredients to make the perfect cheeseburger. But if we don’t use the ingredients correctly and pour and mix just the right amount, it’s not going to be the best cheeseburger. Maybe you want American Cheese, or Provolone or Pepper Jack. Perhaps you prefer Mrs. Dash over salt, trying to limit your salt intake. It’s all about being used correctly. What’s awfully noticeable in the case of the Philadelphia 76ers is that Joel Embiid isn’t being used correctly. Let’s be real here. The NBA is a Guard/Forward focused league. It’s hard to get your own shot up being a big man. Someone literally have to feed you the ball. When the game is ran so fast with an up and down the court type pace, sometimes your big man gets iced out of the game. These conditions can cause your big man to get frustrated and possibly to even quit on the team. Some of the best talent in the NBA is big men. From Karl Anthony Towns, Kevin Love, DeAndre Ayton, Lamarcus Aldridge, to even Zion Williamson. All of those big men are watching the playoffs at home. But there’s one big man who the debate about being the best is all about and his name is Nikola Jokic. He, is being used right. He is that perfect cheeseburger we discussed earlier. And he even loss a lot of weight so let’s consider him as the perfect veggie burger. When a player isn’t being used correctly, you fire the Chef. In this case, the Sixers need to fire Head Coach Brett Brown. Coach Brown should take some pages out of Mike Malone’s book and use Embiid to his full potential. By doing so, it may actually limit his injury rate. He will make his teammates around him better because the team around him isn’t very talented as it is.

And this Philadelphia 76ers Team may actually meet their expectations too. It is absolutely hard being a big man in the NBA where everyone wants to take a bunch of 3’s and run and gun. And when your Head Coach states he has zero interest in spacing the floor with shooters for your best player because it makes it easier to defend the team, then his time is up. Move Joel to Point Center because it works for Nuggets Center Nikola Jokic and even Miami Heat C Bam Adebayo. Imagine what it will do for Joel Embiid and the Sixers.