Getty Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Joel Embiid is nothing if not the ultimate jokester. The Philadelphia 76ers‘ center revels in a good laugh at a teammate’s (or opponent’s) expense. After all, his nickname isn’t “Troell” for nothing.
And at the Sixers’ training camp last week, Embiid had a little fun sharing a very special basketball story with his team. In discussing the origins of basketball with his teammates, Embiid combined levity and lecture.
“A basketball was originally made with a soccer ball. Did anybody know that? Nope. And then the baskets were like peach baskets and every single time someone made a basket, the refs had to go and take the ball out and then put the ball back in play. And then, in the 1900s, they introduced the backboard so the spectators or fans were not blocking shots because before when you were shooting the ball, it was so close they were able to block shots. So they added that so the spectators could not. Y’all didn’t know that.”
Basketball history by Joel Embiid😂
It’s certainly true that James Naismith, the founder of basketball, initially set up two peach baskets nailed into a gym balcony as the two goals for teams. Naismith also shares a connection with Embiid: the Canadian educator founded the Kansas Men’s Basketball program, the same one that the Cameroonian center would suit up for in 2013.
It’s not the only buzz surrounding Embiid to come out of training camp last week. Sixers GM Daryl Morey offered up his own assessment of Embiid’s talent to reporters.
Morey: Embiid Is ‘the Most Skilled Big Man I’ve Ever Been Around’
Speaking with NBA reporters from SiriusXM last week, Morey opened up about what makes Embiid such a unique basketball talent. According to Morey, Embiid stands above the rest in just about every category.
“What I love about Joel is every offseason, he’s adding something. He’s the most skilled big man I’ve ever been around. And he works on his game and shows it. His ability to handle the ball and shoot from all areas of the floor and different kinds is super unique. And he puts that work in so he can show it on the floor,” Morey explained to SiriusXM on September 29.
Morey has certainly seen no shortage of special talent in his career. But unquestionably Embiid is the best center he’s built around. In Houston, the Rockets generally boasted the likes of Montrezl Harrell, Clint Capela, an aging Tyson Chandler, and washed-up Dwight Howard.
But Morey was also in Houston for the Yao Ming years. While Ming never reached the apex of Embiid, he was still a force in the NBA. He averaged 19 points and 9.2 rebounds over his eight-year career.
Next season is something of a make-or-break for Embiid, at least according to one Eastern Conference executive.
Joel Embiid Facing Make or Break Season?
For as excellent as Embiid has been, the Sixers have yet to make it past the second round of the playoffs with him on the roster. The root cause isn’t Embiid; the Sixers’ playoff hopes rise and fall with Embiid’s availability.
But if the Sixers bow out of the playoffs early yet again, at least one Eastern Conference executive thinks things have to change in Philadelphia, according to Heavy.com insider Sean Deveney.
“This has to be a make-or-break kind of year for him. He has been to the playoffs five times now and never past the second round? Look, they’re not going to trade him or anything but if they can’t make progress this season, they’re going to have to look at how this whole thing is constructed and maybe rebuild some parts of it,” the exec explained to Deveney.
The Sixers have done well this summer to surround Embiid with some excellent depth. But that depth will only go so far in the playoffs. Come next spring, all eyes will be on Embiid and his health: if he’s playing, the Sixers project to be a tough out.
If Embiid misses time for whatever reason, it could be another early exit for Philadelphia.