Joel Embiid is a Legend in the Making

The Cameroonian rookie melds Ralph Sampson’s shooting touch with Hakeem Olajuwon’s footwork and Shaq’s sense of humor.

It was merely a month ago that The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor provided a detailed look at Joel Embiid before his first preseason NBA game. Now we’re about 100 hours away from his regular season debut. I’ve been comfortably seated on the Embiid train since watching him swat shots and show off dream shakes in his college days. Still, the fact that he has seemingly improved during his time away from the floor should be sending shivers up and down the spines of opposing teams. There was some undeniable rust that needed shaking off in his preseason debut against the Boston Celtics, but the big man was already demanding a double team. It has taken no time at all for him to begin trusting his body either.

The sky is really the limit for Embiid. I’ve long resided on the corner with doubt regarding The Process—and the majority of Sam Hinkie’s top draft selections (MCW, Noel, Okafor) combined with the shadiness behind the Jrue Holiday deal stand as some reasons why. But Embiid has the potential to shatter even a skeptic’s imagination. He looks every bit like a landscape-altering superstar—the kind that attracts elite free agents from around the league and eventually hoists a few championship trophies. Part of me feels like Embiid’s rise is inevitable if injuries don’t resurface.

Albeit in the preseason, he has already gone toe-to-toe and earned respect from stud big men such as Andre Drummond. Embiid went at Drummond, Hassan Whiteside, and anyone else in his path without hesitation. His passion for competition was on full display when he helped trigger a technical on Detroit’s bench last Saturday. Embiid is edgy, and it makes sense given Brett Brown’s words at the team’s open practice on Wednesday.

“We try to reflect the personality of Philadelphia with our play,” Brown said.

The hard-working nature of the city is something the Sixers hope to embody—and it all starts with Embiid. He has been an absolute force on defense—showcasing a rare blend of shot-blocking, rebounding, and quickness along the perimeter. Embiid has an excellent understanding of verticality as well, which means the world might melt when Russell Westbrook meets him at the rim on Wednesday night.

Embiid isn’t going to have a clean assist-to-turnover ratio as a rookie and even a season on par with Karl-Anthony Towns from last year might not result in 30 wins for Philadelphia. But there will still be plenty to take away from Embiid’s first season of professional basketball. After making incredible strides during his lone year at Kansas, can we expect Embiid to become significantly more comfortable by season’s end? Or will the rigors of constant running and jumping, taking hits, and flying on airplanes be too much strain on his body?

Nerlens Noel is an excellent rim-protecting center who probably has a solid career ahead of him. Whether that’s with the 76ers or not, only time will tell, but he and Jahlil Okafor are already living in the shadow of Embiid (who seems to literally tower over both of them) before the rookie has even played a real game.

Oak and Jo will share the floor some, though Brown has admitted it’s much easier to envision them coexisting offensively than defensively. Given that Noel is set to miss some time to start 2016-17 and Embiid and Okafor aren’t yet ready to see heavy minutes, the logjam at center isn’t as bad as it will be by New Year’s Eve. That much is certain. This buys the Sixers some time to potentially find a trade for Noel, who has grown ornery over his situation entering the final year of his rookie deal.

The crowd in the open practice at Liacouras Center, mostly made up of season ticket holders and Temple students, welcomed Embiid with ruckus applause—followed by chants of “Jo-el, Jo-el, Jo-el!” from one fan nearby. Embiid of course looked up smiling and laughing, which resulted in even more cheers from the spectators. His charisma with the fans is as evident as his talent. Retrieving a ball from behind the basket in the first few minutes of the practice, he effortlessly swished a jumper from what would have been the first row at Wells Fargo Center.

Here’s to hoping he proves superhuman, and that his worst injuries are finally behind him.