Philadelphia 76ers sign Joel Embiid
The Philadelphia 76ers tried to tank like no other last season but still only wound up with the third-overall pick.
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Although they lost 26 consecutive games and finished 19-63, the Milwaukee Bucks were just 15-67. After the Cleveland Cavaliers jumped up and won the first-overall pick in the lottery, the 76ers were slotted third. That wasn’t all bad because most believed there were three potential superstars in the draft – former Kansas Jayhawks’ swingman Andrew Wiggins and center Joel Embiid and former Duke Blue Devils’ forward Jabari Parker.
Once the Cavs took Wiggins first and the Bucks made Parker the second selection, the 76ers didn’t hesitate to pick Embiid despite his offseason foot surgery and lingering back injury.
With Embiid out for a significant amount of time, the 76ers were in no rush to sign him and even may have left him unsigned to help maximize their assets. Once they completed a deal that sent forward Thaddeus Young to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a first-round pick, point guard Alexey Shved and forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, they decided to get Embiid signed.
According to Embiid’s official twitter account, Embiid has signed with the 76ers.
Officially signed my NBA contract today... I'm BLESSED!!!! The American Dream "Coming to America" pic.twitter.com/SYa5i4uAUc
— Joel “Troel” Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) August 26, 2014
Embiid was ranked second among all prospects by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express (behind former Kansas teammate, forward Andrew Wiggins). Embiid averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 1.4 assists and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 62.6% from the field, 20.0% from beyond the arc and 68.5% from the free throw line.
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