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NBA: Ranking the top 5 future beasts of the East

By Gerald Bourguet

Dec 5, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives for the basket against New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) in the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives for the basket against New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) in the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 3, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts after being fouled against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Joel Embiid

We only have a 24-game sample size to work with, and it’s worth noting that due to Joel Embiid’s injury problems, he’s playing with restricted minutes and missing the second night of back-to-back contests.

However, assuming Emibiid can put together a healthy NBA career, there’s no reason to think he’ll be anything less than dominant. Even in limited minutes as a rookie, he’s absolutely destroying the opposition.

Despite playing only 25.1 minutes a night, the Philadelphia 76ers’ star center is averaging 19.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game — ALL of which leads this year’s rookie class by a substantial margin. Embiid also ranks fourth in the entire league in blocks per game.

Embiid is only shooting 46.2 percent from the field overall, but he’s also converting a jaw-dropping 38.2 percent of his three-pointers — a feat nearly unheard of for a seven-foot rookie. As he campaigns for a rookie All-Star appearance with Rihanna rhetoric and fake Donald Trump retweets, Embiid is rapidly becoming a cultural phenomenon.

His health concerns and an exceedingly small sample size hold him back in these rankings, but no one should be surprised if he manages to climb to No. 2 or No. 1 on this list five years from now. He’s an unbelievable talent with a well-rounded game, and if Ben Simmons is half as revolutionary, the Sixers are going to be in a great place for the foreseeable future. Trust The Process, indeed.

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