Sixers Roundup: Excitement About Joel Embiid’s Return Grows
In this week's roundup we collect some of the articles that came out of Brett Brown's media luncheon and start looking toward the 2017 NBA draft.
Joel Embiid practices before the Sixers played the Los Angeles Clippers on February 8th, 2016 | Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
We’re now within 10 days of training camp, which means season previews are going to start trickling in. It also means we’re getting closer and closer to seeing Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid perform in an actual NBA game, and finally see some of the fruits of the rebuild.
7-foot-2 fruits.
As the season draws closer much of the attention is focused on Joel Embiid, both because of his potential and just for the sheer amount of time Sixers fans have been waiting to see him play.
- Embiid was the focus of a column from Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, accompanied by a mockumentary of the hype surrounding Embiid. Read/watch that here.
- Speaking of that Ringer article on Embiid, former general manager Sam Hinkie asked on twitter for people to send reading suggestions his way, and Embiid sent his former boss that article breaking down his upside.
- Also over at The Ringer is a list of three prospects in the 2017 NBA draft worth tanking for: Markelle Fultz, Josh Jackson, and Harry Giles. Read that at theringer.com.
- Also on the draft, we started pumping out preseason scouting reports over at DraftExpress.com, including on eon Fultz.
- Shaq called Ben Simmons “a LeBron-type player.”
- BBallBreakdown with a video on why Allen Iverson is in the Hall of Fame. His videos are always superb.
- Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports’ BDL with a bit of a season preview for the 76ers and a look at the fascinating challenge of figuring it all out.
- Sports Illustrated released their ranking of the top-100 players for the 2016-17 season. Nerlens Noel was the only Sixer on that list, coming in at 84th.
- Zach Harper of CBS Sports with another look at the Noel vs Okafor debate.
- Brett Brown apparently sends his former players handwritten thank you notes, as Christian Wood posted one he received.
- Podcasts: Max Rappaport and Jim Adair had former Sixer Chu Chu Maduabum on as a guest on The Stepover Pod after Maduabum found the “Who the <bleep> is Chu Chu Maduabum” t-shirt they designed and requested one for himself.
- I got together with the aforementioned Max Rappaport along with Kyle Neubeck and Rich Hofmann on a new Epsiode of The Sixers Beat to discuss Hinkie joining twitter, Joel Embiid’s upside, and take caller questions via the caller mailbag. Listen here.
- Brett Brown spoke with members of the media. We wrote about his thoughts on Embiid here, and Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer touched on Embiid’s massive potential as well. Also check out Jessica Camerato on Saric’s basketball experience and Enrico Campitelli on Ben Simmons’ desire to be great.
That will wrap up this week’s roundup.
Derek Bodner covers the 76ers for Philadelphia magazine’s Sixers Post. Follow @DerekBodnerNBA on Twitter.
