The Philadelphia 76ers have had a stellar start to the 2020-21 season, starting with a 14-6 record and sitting on top of the Eastern Conference. Under Doc Rivers’ tutelage, the young 76ers are playing hard, and he has made the choice to play more through Joel Embiid. Joel Embiid is currently averaging 28.3 PPG, 11.3 RPG, and 2.8 APG, while playing some elite inside defense. Joel Embiid is one of the favorites for the MVP award so far, and for good reason.
Individual awards are great, but what truly matters is whether you lead your team far into the playoffs. The 76ers haven’t made the Finals with the Embiid-Simmons duo, but this could be their year. Kendrick Perkins heaped praise on Joel Embiid:
https://twitter.com/KendrickPerkins/status/1355367173947084800
In his Tweet, Perkins implies that no-one will be able to stop the 76ers in the Eastern Conference. Presumably, that’s including contenders like the Milwaukee Bucks or the Brooklyn Nets. Not many people can guard Joel Embiid on the inside, and it is showing by his dominance over the course of the 2020-21 season. Brook Lopez and DeAndre Jordan are great centers, but they are not slowing down Joel Embiid and it makes sense that Perkins would assume that nobody would stop them. The center position isn’t dead, and Joel Embiid is proving it before our eyes. Kendrick Perkins is right: nothing bar injury is stopping Embiid.
While we have no idea how this team will turn out in the postseason, it seems like the Philadelphia 76ers are on the right track. While teams are still searching for an answer to Joel Embiid, he is still dominating. That’s all the Philadelphia 76ers want out of their superstar, and hopefully, that dominance leads them to the NBA Finals.
