In the 2014 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers had the third overall pick and decided to draft Kansas Center, Joel Embiid. The other two drafts before him were Jabari Parker at #2 and Andrew Wiggins (2014 Rookie of the Year) at #1. Embiid was meant to be the center piece of which the 76ers rebuilt their franchise. However, things would not turn out the way they had hoped.
Embiid was later on ruled out for the 2014-15 season with a broken navicular bone in his foot which required surgery as per SB Nation. It was later announced that Embiid's recovery was not progressing as quickly as the management had hoped. A second round of surgery saw the 7-foot Cameroonian miss the entire 2015-16 season. The 76ers went two years without their prized Center but added two more sought after rookies in each succeeding year.
Now, Joel Embiid is finally ready to debut, 2 years after he was drafted. With the 76ers' Jahlil Okafor, who was the 3rd overall pick in the 2015 Draft, proving not to be very effective in the fast paced NBA. And the #1 pick for this year's draft, Ben Simmons is still out with an injury, all attention in Philadelphia turn to Embiid. (NBA draft history is available on NBA.com)
Appropriately nicknamed "The Process", Joel Embiid has been eased into a limited starting role for the 76ers, one in which he has blossomed. Although he is limited to only 28 minutes a game as per CBS Sports and forced to sit on the bench on back-to-back games, Embiid has averaged 28 points per 36 minutes of play as per Deadspin.com. A feat only achieved by one other player in their rookie year, Wilt Chamberlain. Embiid also affects the team defensively as he limits opponents to shooting 42.5% when he is guarding them within 6-feet from the rim.
The 76ers have already surpassed their previous year's record of 10-72 with a 13-26 record as of now, and things are bound to get better. If the team can continue to realize the potential Embiid has shown and if Ben Simmons can live up to the hype, then the 76ers are looking to have a bright future.
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