May 20, 2016

If Embiid's not ready for summer league, should Sixers deal one of their big men?

By Matt Mullin
PhillyVoice Staff

After winning Tuesday night's NBA Draft Lottery, things finally seem to be looking up for the Sixers.

Even though they missed out on getting the Lakers first-round pick, Bryan Colangelo and the new brain trust now have the option to draft whomever they like.

Additionally, they hope to have both Joel Embiid and Dario Saric in the fold when the 2016-17 season opens in the fall. And Embiid, the third-overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft who has yet to play a game for the Sixers because of injury, is excited to say the least.

The #3 Pick from the 2014 draft is gonna be ready too... Let's get it
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) May 18, 2016

Unfortunately, according to Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier, the 22-year-old center likely won't be joining his teammates in Utah or Las Vegas for their summer league games despite the progress he's reportedly made in the last few months, which included a trip to a special rehab center in Qatar.

But an NBA source Thursday called it "unlikely" that Embiid would participate in the Utah Jazz Summer League from July 4-7 or the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas from July 8-18.
The source said Embiid playing less than 11 months after bone graft surgery on his right foot wasn't "practical." The last thing the Sixers want is Embiid experiencing a setback that could jeopardize or delay his regular-season debut. [buckscountycouriertimes.com]

I agree that at this point, there's no need to rush Embiid back for summer league games if he isn't 100 percent. With all the time they've already invested in getting the seven-footer healthy enough to play in games, the last thing they -- or the fans -- want is for that to have been for nothing.

The Sixers aren't contending this season and most likely won't be for a few more after this. So why rush Embiid into action this summer? He'll likely have plenty of time to get a feel for NBA basketball over the course of this season.

But when Embiid does join his teammates on the court, it could be at the expense of one of the other recent lottery picks the Sixers made during The Process™.

If Colangelo and Co. go take LSU forward Ben Simmons with the top pick -- and Embiid and Saric join as well -- they're going to have quite the crowded frontcourt:

• Joel Embiid
• Nerlens Noel
• Jahlil Okafor
• Dario Saric
• Ben Simmons

And that doesn't even include guys like Jerami Grant and Richaun Holmes -- not to mention whatever other players the Sixers draft at Nos. 24 and 26.

From the looks of it, something's got to give if coach Brett Brown wants to use the regular season to continue to develop his ridiculously young lineup.

But who will be the odd man out, and could the Sixers use that player to build a package enticing enough for rival GMs to give up a lottery pick, an established point guard or, perhaps, both?

Embiid isn't going anywhere. His potential upside is far greater than anything the Sixers could get in return given his injury history and the fact that he's yet to play an NBA game. Saric will likely bring a different skill set over from Europe than what his peers in the Sixers backcourt currently offer; basically, he's more versatile.

That leaves us with Okafor and Noel, who have polar-opposite styles and yet are both very good at what they do. Okafor shines -- as we saw before his season was ended by injury -- on the offensive side of the ball. Noel, on the other hand, is a defensive monster that can really fill up a stat sheet with blocks, steals and rebounds.

The problem, however, was that they flat out stunk when on the court at the same time. And because of that, many feel that one or the other should be dealt before too long.

Whether or not that comes before next month's draft remains to be seen, but according to ~~ESPN's~~ HBO's Bill Simmons (that feels really wrong to write), a deal with the Celtics involving Okafor could make sense for both Philly and Boston.

Moreover, it would give the Sixers two of the top three picks in the draft and allow them to draft a guard, specifically one who can score the ball like Kentucky's Jamaal Murray (20 PPG last season) or Providence's Kris Dunn (16.4 PPG).

“I think the guy they’re going to trade for is Okafor,” Simmons told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher & Rich” on Wednesay. “That almost happened in February. And if you think about it, it makes a ton of sense for Philly. … They basically spent all these high lottery picks on big guys — Nerlens Noel, (Joel) Embiid … and then last year Okafor. And meanwhile the league’s gone small, and you need perimeter guys to win in the NBA.
“If you’re Philly, first of all if you put Ben Simmons with any of those guys, it doesn’t really make sense. Ben Simmons can’t shoot. He’s probably a stretch-four in the NBA and he can’t shoot, which makes him just a four. And you already have a bunch of guys who can’t shoot. So I think if you’re Philly, I just think it makes sense to trade Okafor for (the No. 3 pick) … and Philly could take Jamaal Murray at (No. 3), and they could take Ingram or Simmons at (No. 1). .. And for the Celtics, you could argue Okafor could be the best player in this draft.” [nesn.com]

I don't actually hate this idea, but I've never quite been on board with trading Okafor over Noel. I just think it's much harder to find a big man with the kind of offensive game that Okafor put on display in his rookie season, one that ended with him being named to the NBA's All-Rookie First Team. Those concerns are further amplified by Simmons' aforementioned shooting struggles.

Don't get me wrong, I think Nerlens is a hell of a player. It's just that players with his particular set of skills tend to be easier to find. And if they overlap with those of (Ben, not Bill) Simmons, it seems the obvious thing to do would be try dealing Noel.

That being said, the potential return on a deal for Noel would almost certainly be less than for Okafor, and if you're talking about getting the No. 3 pick -- exactly where Okafor was taken a year ago -- my ears will perk up just a little more.

Embiid is the wild card, however. If we knew with certainty that he was going to be back at 100 percent and there were no lingering injury concerns, dealing Okafor becomes a lot easier to swallow.

But what if -- just bear with me for a second -- Embiid doesn't wind up panning out?

He's been touted all along as a complete player. He's dominant on both ends of the court, but really thrives on the offensive end. If he suffers another major injury or can't manage to stay healthy for entire seasons at a time, wouldn't you want someone like Okafor there to pick up your frontcourt scoring?

Furthermore, it's safe to assume that when Embiid returns, his minutes will be severely limited in the early going. And by having both he and Okafor on the roster, you'll be able to keep both from wearing out over the course of an 82-game season, let alone a meaningless one in which the playoffs will likely be an afterthought.

There are no easy answers here. What you will find, though, are options. Bryan Colangelo and the Sixers will have plenty of those between now and the draft.

And you can thank The Process™ -- whether you were on board or not -- for that.