After four years of tanking, the Philadelphia 76ers are a legitimate threat to host a playoff series in the Eastern Conference. There are many reasons for their ascension, but none bigger than the man who calls himself “The Process”, Joel Embiid.
Embiid’s dominance has led to him being an All-Star starter, and he’s putting up flashy offensive numbers. JoJo is averaging almost 24 points a game, just under 11 rebounds, and almost two blocks. He’s had thunderous dunks, can step out and hit a 3-pointer, has the touch to hit a fade away, and is an outstanding passer-especially out of the double team. However, it’s possible that his greatest contribution can’t be measured statistically. Embiid is an elite rim protector, and he has helped the Sixers become one of the top defensive teams in the league.
The Sixers have won nine of their last 11 games, and since the win against the Knicks on Christmas Day, Philadelphia has really turned it up on defense, and has outscored their opponents by 9.6 points per 100 possessions. Pretty good, right? How about the best in the NBA since Christmas. Second place is the Warriors at 8.3 points per 100 possessions, followed by the Thunder at 6.6. The Sixers are legit. When you look for trends to find out what may be the cause of this recent success, it comes back to one thing-Joel Embiid has played in all but one of those games.
Embiid has a top 3 defensive rating this season. The numbers when he’s on the court versus when he’s off the court are overwhelming. He’s a +222 so far this season, and those numbers have increased steadily since Christmas. His blocks/36 figure is best in the league for all players with at least 700 minutes played.
Now throw all of those statistics out, and do something that makes the pencilneck analysts cringe – do the eye test. Embiid challenges every shot, has gotten increasingly better at switching and helping, and competes hard every night. Even more impressive is the fact that no matter how hard Embiid competes on defense, his offense continues to be consistent.
Embiid has said he plans to start playing in back-to-back games after January. If he continues to stay on the court, and Philadelphia continues to be a factor in the East, there is no reason that Embiid shouldn’t be a serious contender for Defensive Player of the Year.
