The Woeful Tale of Joel Embiid, Plus Vegas Begins

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Even since it was announced last month that Joel Embiid had suffered a setback in his recovery from foot surgery, Sixers fans were treated a certain piece of news coming across the wire. Saturday afternoon, their worst fears were realized as it was announced the former Kansas big man would require a second surgery and was likely to miss the entire 2015-16 season. Aside from the obvious component that this is a devastating hit for an affable young man that has worked his ass off to retake the floor and suit up with his teammates, there are a few key takeaways from this announcement.

First, you have to believe Sixers management expected this to be the likeliest outcome when they they selected Jahlil Okafor 3rd overall in last month’s draft. Say what you will about taking the best player available, asset collection, etc., but I have the feeling they were much more confident in the move knowing it would only bring them to something like 2 and a half big men, rather than three.

Still, this be no means indicates Embiid’s career is over. Just because this same navicular bone fracture effectively ended Yao Ming’s career, doesn’t mean its curtains for Joel. Other players have come back fine from it, and there’s not a huge history of results with this particular injury in either direction. While it’s fair to say Embiid has been extremely injury-prone in the short time he’s been playing basketball, let’s not jump to the conclusion that he won’t ever be a factor in the NBA.

Finally, I find myself in the camp that in spite of this latest setback, the Sixers still made the right decision in taking Embiid when they did in the draft. The franchise needs a superstar and say there was a 25% chance of his being one, with another 25% chance of his being a total bust, you still have to take that risk. The team just seemed to be on the wrongs side of the odds yet again. Fortunately, even if Embiid doesn’t pan out, the Sixers still have a bushel of first-round picks, pick swaps, and other valuable pieces on the roster to acquire that needed difference-maker either through the draft or via trade.

It just really burns me up that the Timberwolves mishandled the star they had, but were able to flip Kevin Love for Andrew Wiggins after LeBron James decided he wanted to play with Love in Cleveland. Then, after Flip Saunders foolishly thought Minnesota could make the playoffs, even trading a first-round pick for a rental of Thad Young, they bottom out despite themselves and end up with Karl-Anthony Towns. As the old saying goes, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. For the most part, Sam Hinkie has been good as a GM, but he certainly hasn’t been lucky.

The Summer Sixers also lost a pair of games out in Vegas over the weekend, falling 68-60 to the Lakers on Saturday, and 85-76 to Boston late Sunday night. Below are the key performances from those contests.

Okafor Provides a Pick-Me-Up

With the Embiid news casting a shadow over Sixers nation Saturday, the play of Jahlil Okafor provided a soothing balm to fans’ pains. Freed from the harsh mile-high air of Salt Lake City, Jah had his best performance of the summer, going off for 19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks (one a rejection of DeAngelo Russell that will start the battle archives of the respective top-3 picks). His patience in the post, exemplary footwork, and ability to pass out of double-teams are simply remarkable for a 19-year-old. The Sixers may have lost a young center for the season, but they have another one stepping in to be excited about.

This is good, right? https://t.co/L4NxQdNwUF

— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) July 12, 2015

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Pierre Jackson’s Completes the Long Road Back

After a full year rehabbing a gruesome achilles tear, Pappy Jack finally returned to the court Saturday and did not disappoint, scoring 15 points, including a 3-6 mark from downtown, and going on a personal 8-0 in the first half to tie the game at 19 and throw the Sixers bench into a frenzy. Jackson wasn’t quite as effective Sunday against Boston, shooting just 3-12 for 9 points, but it did hit 2 of 4 threes. With the point guard position so wide open for the Sixers that T.J. McConnell is seriously considered in the running for a roster spot, Pierre is really the only candidate (including Wroten, Canaan, etc.) as a guy who can both hit outside shots and be an explosive playmaker off the dribble. His emergence could be a bright spot in the Sixers’ summer season.

JaKarr Sputters to Start

JaKarr Sampson shot a cover-your-eyes-bad 3-16 against the Lakers, somehow approaching a -30 plus/minus in a summer league game. He was slightly better against the Celtics, hitting 5-12 shots for 13 points, but as a second-year guy, he should be look a cut above the competition, much as Jerami Grant did in Utah. Also, as a guy who was actually a starting point guard for the team at times last season, you would like to see more than 1 assist total across two games. Hopefully, this is just a case of the usual summer league caveats applying and not Sampson having plateaued as a rookie.