Last year, the Philadelphia 76ers spent their third overall pick on Joel Embiid, only to have their top pick get injured, pretty much losing the season altogether. Now that he’s back and nearing 100%, the question that remains is how effective will he be?
They secured themselves a more than solid backup plan in the newly-drafted Jahlil Okafor, but should he really be a backup plan? With Nerlens Noel also holding it down as a big man, it would be hard to give all three players their due playing time.
Considering the uncertainty that surrounds the former Jayhawk as he comes off an injury, it may be prudent of Philly to fully commit to Okafor and shop around Embiid a bit. Granted, he is coming off of an injury which definitely drags his stock down, but the other side of that sword is his potential.
There’s clearly upside with Embiid, so any team, including the 76ers, has to think long and hard about latching onto a player like him, despite the injury. Because of this factor, the ideal thing for Philadelphia to do is hold onto both for now. Give Embiid a fair chance to shake his tailfeather and show what he can do, but it should be off the bench at least.
If they can manage a nice rotation between all three big men, then they could definitely make some more positive strides this coming season. Only time will tell, but it’s definitely an interesting storyline to follow this summer.