Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is the franchise player. On one hand, yes, the team has yet to hear from Ben Simmons. On the other hand, yes, the team has nearly a one in six chance of landing the top pick of the 2017 NBA Draft. And finally, yes, the team has Robert Covington, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and even Dario Saric showing plenty of promise to outstanding NBA careers.
But in 31 games, Joel Embiid showed the Philadelphia 76ers fanbase that he was worth the wait. In his rookie season, he proved that he could hold his own, and even outplay, the NBA’s best big men.