Fansided

The Rookie of the Year award still belongs to Joel Embiid

By Ananth Pandian

Jan 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts to his three pointer with guard Nik Stauskas (11) during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Wells Fargo Center. The Houston Rockets won123-118. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts to his three pointer with guard Nik Stauskas (11) during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Wells Fargo Center. The Houston Rockets won123-118. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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For the past few seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers fully embraced the process of former GM Sam Hinkie, which in turn made them synonymous with losing. This was however, the general plan of Hinkie.

Hinkie put forth a blueprint in Philadelphia where the the Sixers would try to tank. This was all a concentrated effort to build through the draft, where perhaps a potential superstar could be selected to bring the franchise back to their glory days. And while it took a few years to actually come to fruition, the Sixers have that franchise-altering player in Joel Embiid, a player they selected No. 3 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Finally able to play after repeated foot injuries that kept him out for the entirety of the last two seasons, Embiid has been dominant this season, which is his official rookie year. Playing under a minutes restriction to ensure his good health, Embiid is averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.5 blocks in just 25.4 minutes a game. Embiid is also shooting 46.6 percent, 36.7 percent on 3-pointers (on 3.2 attempts a game) and 78.3 percent from the free throw line, an area where most big men his size are often dismal.

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But while Embiid has been sensational, unfortunately his rookie season will likely be a bit abbreviated. The Sixers recently announced that Embiid has a minor meniscus tear in his left knee and there is no timetable for return.

With the Sixers only having 23 games left in their season, it would seem prudent for Embiid to not return. Philadelphia isn’t fighting for a playoff spot and not having Embiid will likely lead to more losses, which should help in terms of draft positioning. Also this way, Embiid doesn’t have to rush back and can focus getting a hundred percent healthy.

But if Embiid doesn’t play again this season, his chances of winning the Rookie of the Year award would be put in doubt, especially since he has been on a minutes restriction and hasn’t played in the majority of Philadelphia’s games.

For some context, the only other rookie to ever win the award while playing limited minutes happened in the lockout-shortened 2012 season, where Kyrie Irving won after playing in 51 games for a total of 1,558 minutes. In a non-lockout year, Patrick Ewing won the Rookie of the Year award in 1986 despite playing a total of 1,771 minutes in 50 games. Embiid on the other hand, has only played 786 minutes in 31 games this season.

So should Embiid’s brilliance in such a limited time frame count against him and negatively affect his chances of winning the Rookie of the Year award?

Many will likely say yes as Denver’s Jamal Murray, Milwaukee’s Malcolm Brogdon and Sacramento’s Buddy Hield have their respective arguments for why they should win the Rookie of the Year award. Even his teammate Dario Saric is in the running for the award. But Embiid is a truly special player and his production should ensure that he will win Rookie of the Year this season.

To put Embiid’s stats in perspective, the only other players to average similar numbers as a rookie are David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Ralph Sampson and Tim Duncan. That’s four Hall of Famers and a very likely fifth with Duncan. Embiid also leads all rookies in points, rebounds and blocks. He is in the top-10 or higher in other categories as well.

The Sixers rookie big man’s per 36-minutes are even more impressive. So far this season, Embiid’s per 36-minutes numbers are: 28.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.5 blocks. As ESPN pointed out on Jan. 16, the only other rookie in NBA history to score more points than Embiid per minute is the legendary Wilt Chamberlain.

Perhaps more importantly, thanks to Embiid, the Sixers are no longer viewed as just a losing team. Philadelphia is now perceived as a team on the rise with Embiid being their superstar. For the first time since the 2013, the Sixers will have won more than 20 games in a season. Last season, the Sixers won just 10 games. And with Embiid playing a major role, the Sixers have so far won 22 games this year.

Besides for winning more games than usual, Embiid’s humorous attitude has also injected the Sixers with some much needed levity. After T.J. McConnell hit a game-winner this season, Embiid went super hyperbolic and called the Sixers guard “the clutchest player in NBA history.” Embiid’s jokes and his overall skillset has transformed a hardworking Sixers team into one that is also fun to watch. Because of Embiid, the Sixers are now an NBA League Pass darling.

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Embiid’s limited minutes and the low number of games he played, will definitely count against him when it comes to the Rookie of the Year award. But Embiid has shown that he is in a class all by himself and is more than deserving to win.

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