After recently acquiring French citizenship, there is a chance that Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid takes his talents to an international stage. With a roster full of NBA talent, Team France might be adding the back-to-back MVP runner-up to their ranks.
Embiid still has some protocol to go through but is trending towards being able to compete for France in the next Summer Olympics. Some of the notable names on the French roster currently are Nic Batum, Evan Fournier, and All-Star big man Rudy Gobert.
During a recent interview with BasketNews, Gobert talked about the idea of getting to share the court with a player like Embiid. He admits the Sixers star is a one-of-a-kind player and hopes to see him in a French uniform one day.
He’s an incredible player. There are lots of things to think about. Joel is a unique player and we have a team that is already well-knit. A group that lives well together. You have to see how it might work for the group.
Some weeks ago, Gobert said there’s no player in the world like Joel Embiid. So yes, I would like to see him one day with the jersey of the French team. It is up to the coach (Vincent Collet) to make this decision.
But no one can really say no to a talent like him. As long as it sticks to our team, our chemistry and our principles of play, and he is ready to adapt to it, he can be a very nice weapon for us, the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year said.
Joel Embiid Ranked Among Most Dominant at His Position
While he’s fallen short of the MVP award twice now, there is no denying that Joel Embiid is one of the most dominant forces in the game today. Last season, he became the first center since Shaq in 2000 to lead the NBA in scoring. On top of this, Embiid posted career-highs in both points (30.6) and assists (4.2) per game.
With the start of a new season around the corner, the people at Bleacher Report did a ranking of the most dominant players at each position. Embiid was second among centers, only trailing reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
It’s impossible to know if Embiid can ever close that gap, but the fact he has ascended this high is a credit to his improved availability and across-the-board offensive growth. His assists are climbing, his turnover rate keeps dropping, he’s a scoring threat from everywhere and his defense is impenetrable. Putting him second in anything feels cruel, but such is life when you share a position with the reigning back-to-back MVP winner.
Joel Embiid Leads NBA in Two Eye-Popping Stats
Even if most still rank Jokic ahead of him, Embiid has made major strides to become one of the game’s top talents. Along with upping his scoring output, the Sixers franchise cornerstone proved to be a go-to option late in games as well. When it came to clutch scoring last season, no player scored more points than Embiid.
Joel Embiid led the league in Total Clutch Points last season (158)
First time a Center led the NBA in that category since Hakeem in 1996 🤯
On top of being one of the NBA’s best scorers in the clutch, Embiid also leads all active centers in career points per game. The closest to matching him is Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns.
Most career PPG by an active center:
26.0 — Joel Embiid
23.2 — Karl-Anthony Towns
19.7 — Nikola Jokic
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Three-Time All-Star Hoping to Join Forces With Sixers Star Joel Embiid