Joel Embiid symbolizes for Toronto Raptors fans how simultaneously electrifying and excruciating tanking to get to the top can be for a fan base and front office.
Your opinion of him is based entirely on how much you “trust the process.”
And there is great reason to be a doubter and believer.
He’s publicly professed his love for Rihanna and declared himself better than Michael Jordan. Sadly, NBA fans have seen him more on Twitter than they have on the court.
JOEL EMBIID IS BETTER THAN MJ EVER WAS @QuireSultan #FACTS #BurnerTwitter
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) September 18, 2017
His physical fortunes or misfortunes has taken over the tanking narrative that surrounded the Philadelphia 76ers. What he is and what he could be is one of the most intriguing NBA storylines because the stakes are that high: He could mean a decade of dominance or he could deteriorate further.
Embiid missed his first two seasons in the NBA with a variety of foot and knee injuries. He returned to practice on Oct. 5 for the first time since undergoing a knee procedure in March and is still being worked in slowly with the regular season now underway.
Philadelphia flirted with putting him on a 16-minute cap to start the year, something Embiid used coarse language to demonstrate his disagreement with.
The minutes-restriction threat never came to fruition.
Embiid made his pre-season debut with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one block in less than 15 minutes. It was the first time we saw him in NBA action since Jan. 27. It was also the first time he played since signing a five-year $146.5-million contract extension (the first four years are guaranteed).
A max deal is a steep price considering in his four-year NBA career he had suited up in just one campaign before this season.
Embiid is being paid $188,295 for every minute he’s played in the NBA coming in to this season.
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That injury kept him out of the NCAA tournament is the main reason he is in Philadelphia in the first place. Favoured to be the top pick, he slipped and was drafted third overall in 2014 behind Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker.
What makes Embiid intriguing besides his infectious personality is his unprecedented trajectory. The former volleyball player has been playing basketball for less than a decade. He got better by the week during his one year as a Kansas Jayhawk.
But he’s never had a clean bill of health for an extended period of time in his brief basketball career.
Performing despite the grind of the year is part of the NBA. LeBron James‘ availability is a significant chink of his legend. In a week where NBA stars like Gordon Hayward and Jeremy Lin were lost for the season due to injury, the fact that LeBron has never had a major surgery during his NBA career and has gone to seven straight NBA Finals without missing one post-season game due to injury becomes all the more improbable.
By contrast, Embiid is held out of back-to-back games despite being in his physical prime at the age of 23. The young big man will miss his first game in Toronto Saturday after starting in his own home opener Friday.
Greg Oden is widely considered the biggest health-related NBA bust of this generation, yet Oden played 51 more games than Embiid in his first three years.
The 76ers took a big gamble by extending Embiid, despite all his upside. They could have waited until next summer when Embiid would have been a restricted free agent and they could match any offer.
The only plausible reason to offer him so much money up front would be to curry favour with him for when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Where Embiid is like LeBron is his impact on his team’s success. You can make the argument that when he plays he is the most valuable player in the league.
The 76ers had a net rating (3.2) like the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics (3.1) with Embiid on the court last season. Their net rating was the worst in the league without him (-7.9).
With Embiid playing their defensive rating (99.1) was comparable to the league-best San Antonio Spurs (100.9). Without him Philadelphia’s defence was 23rd in the league at 108.2.
Philadelphia’s record improved by 18 games last year despite his limited play, before going 11-26 down the stretch without him.
Embiid is needed dearly on offence – having averaged 28.7 points per 36 minutes last season and operating as a seven-foot playmaker out of the high post – however, the piece of hardware Embiid has the best shot at might not be MVP or even comeback player of the year but defensive player of the year. Last season Embiid rated as a better rim protector than Rudy Gobert and ranked fourth in the league in steals-plus-blocks per game.
Even with a new braided hairstyle, Embiid is providing the same value thus far this year.
That the 76ers lost in Washington Wednesday to open their season was secondary to the fact that Embiid (18 points, 13 rebounds) and 2016-17 first-overall pick Ben Simmons both played and looked not just healthy, but great.
Even with two No. 1 picks in their rookie season Embiid is the biggest X-factor.
Philadelphia’s uncertain future is interesting to watch as it comes to Toronto, as this could have been the Raptors’ reality. Masai Ujiri has had many chances to blow things up and tank since he left the Denver Nuggets to rebuild the Raptors.
The Atlantic Division foes have taken opposite approaches. Toronto is trying to compete in the short term without cannibalizing its long-term future or pinning hopes on any one player. Philadelphia has long tossed away any thought of competing immediately to solely ensure it has long-term success.
Neither path is certain.
