Adrian Fedkiw
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid showcased a little bit of everything in his repertoire during his NBA regular season debut on Wednesday night.
The Dream Shake, outside touch on the jumper, a variety of low post moves, ball handling and rim protection.
He did it all.
The Cameroonian, who finally made his debut after missing the last two seasons with foot injuries, had 20 points and seven rebounds. He was 6-of-16 from the floor, 7-of-8 from the foul line and 1-of-3 from beyond the arc in 22 minutes of action. And speaking of that outside touch, he learned how to shoot by watching videos of white people.
Embiid will certainly be a top center in the game down the line if he can stay healthy, but who are top three right now?
The offensively gifted DeMarcus Cousins is my No. 1 center, averaging 26.9 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.42 blocks per game last season. He uses his size and strength to dominate the glass and down low in the post, where his footwork allows him to spin and drop step with ease. He’s also been more comfortable stepping away from the basket as the years have gone by. The problem has always been his attitude and clashing with head coaches. Dave Joerger became the Sacramento Kings’ sixth one since 2012 this offseason, but Boogie claims to like Joerger. Maybe this relationship will last.
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns checks in at No. 2 and he possesses all the traits of the modern-day center, he has the footwork to dominate in the post, the touch to pick-and-pop, handles to drive to the basket and finish and vision to find open shooters out of the post. Last season’s Rookie of the Year averaged 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds last year.
Andre Drummond rounds out my top three and he’s one of the main reasons why the Detroit Pistons have become a trendy pick to make some noise in the Eastern Conference. The NBA oddsmakers gave Detroit the 12th best odds of winning it all at 125/1. Drummond is an outstanding rebounder, leading the NBA last season with 14.8 per game. The 23-year-old still needs some work with his post moves, shot blocking and free-throw shooting, but the immense talent is obviously there.
It’s not farfetched to say that Embiid is already a top 10 center and he could make it into the top three centers discussion by next year if he stays healthy. He may very well be Rookie of the Year by season’s end as well.