Adrian Fedkiw
Joel Embiid can literally do everything on a basketball court, but just how much of an impact is he making on the defensive side of the floor?
Check out this stat from the CSN broadcast of the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets game last night. When Embiid is on the floor, the Sixers would have the best defensive rating in the NBA compared to the worst when he’s not on it.
DEAD LAST!
The 7-foot-2 Embiid is athletic, agile and his timing is phenomenal to be an elite rim protector in the NBA. In fact, Embiid is statistically the best rim protector in the NBA, according to this tweet by the Liberty Ballers’ Max Rappaport.
Just realized Embiid has now reached #1 in the NBA in rim protection
Opponents shoot 14.9% worse on shots he defends ≥ 6 feet of the hoop pic.twitter.com/H2LL96Ne3i
— max (@MaxRappaport) December 4, 2016
The unique quality about Embiid is his ability to be an effective perimeter defender when need be. This is what he did against John Wall in the preseason.
Defending John Wall is hard for a guard, let alone a 7’2 center. Embiid is unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/5csliZFYbI
— Philly Influencer (@PHL_Influencer) October 14, 2016
As a center, it’s imperative to be a rim protector, which Jahlil Okafor is not. He’s also a lackadaisical defender, but he might’ve found a perfect complement to play with in Embiid. In order to play with Okafor, you need a big that can stretch the defense while also protecting that rim.
It’s rare to find a player like that, but Embiid has those qualities. If Okafor gets beat 1-on-1 on the block, Embiid’s presence as a help defender may mask those deficiencies. Offensively, Embiid is not going to clog the paint because he’s comfortable playing both on the block and along the perimeter as either a shooter or a driver.
Embiid’s a rare breed, trust the process.