Re: A Closer Look at Joel Embiid
YuenglingGator, we havent interacted much on these here boards but let me tell you what... you keep pumping my head with tales of my scouting greatness and we are going to get along just fine good sir. Just fine.
Let me return the favor: Great use of elipses there in your post. You used those like a man who has pretty good control of the fundamentals required to be a all-star on realcavsfans. You stick to those punctuation fundamentals man, and you'll have a gold name in no time. I'm going to keep my eye out for your posts.
With Embiid, I havent seen this type of raw talent and natural instinct in a teenager with his size and athleticism since I've been old enough to know what I was looking at. Seriously, that is not overhyping him. Hibbert never showed an ounce of what Embiid has already showed while he was at Georgetown all 4 years. Oden showed it on defense with instinct but expectations were lowered for him when the season started and he already had a broken wrist, which restricted him offensively. Oden didnt show half as much potential on offense that Embiid has already shown, and Oden was just getting on the court by now his freshman season. Hibbert at this age couldnt tie his shoe, and Brook Lopez was Stephen Adams with just a tad more offense his freshman year. If Embiid were on a team where he'd be featured on offense, like Jabari is at Duke or Randle is at UK, there would be no discussion who the #1 is.
In regard to other #1's, I take him over every one of them recently except maybe Anthony Davis. Davis was a PG getting ready to battle Trey Harmon for minutes at Cleveland State until he shot up from 6'2 before his senior season. I truly dont know how that happened and I think New Orleans still hasnt even scratched the surface of what all he is capable of. My Dentist friend from my basketball league here who has season tickets and drives up to Rupp for every home game, said Anthony Davis was the best 3pt shooter on that championship team and would kick Teague and Lambs ass pretty regularly in drills according to everyone he hung with up there. Not saying he should do that at this level, but I think he's going to be scarier in year 3 & 4 than almost anybody if he stays healthy. When Garnett reached his prime, there was still handchecking and physicality was welcomed in the league. By the time Davis reaches his prime, he will do what he wants.
But other than Davis, Embiid is just natural. Watching him is like watching LeBron his rookie year up here, where you kept saying that a kid shouldnt be able to do that at this level yet.
His dad looks pretty old over on the sidelines. Im waiting for a report to show up saying Embiid is the same age as Hasheem Thabeet. Until then, Im sticking with him 1st overall. Wiggins nor Parker can change a game on both ends the way he can.
Hey Rchfield, I've been out of the loop with the holidays and all, so I am just seeing your response to my question in the 2014 Draft thread. I think you made a lot of good points and the post bears repeat here in the Embiid thread.
Sidenote: I think just as much as your post shows how special Embiid could be - it also shows just how special Anthony Davis already is. Having a center with potential of Embiid, knowing you would take him over just about any of the decades last prospects... except maybe Davis. High praise for both guys, and definitely deserved by Davis from what we've seen thus far.
Now, back to Embiid. As its been mentioned in here many times, can't say enough about his previous athletic ventures and what they are doing for his development in basketball. The footwork he already has can easily be attributed to soccer, you can see it twice in the dream shake highlight. First, the balance on the catch, and of course the dance moves you see on the shake. It's like if a 7 footer existed, who could wear size 8 shoes and be perfectly balanced, Embiid would be the closest thing to him.
[video=youtube_share;5Irvvb7Y4-w]http://youtu.be/5Irvvb7Y4-w[/video]
Then of course, volleyball. The timing he learned that can carry over to shot blocking and grabbing boards is valuable.
[video=youtube_share;rJRWt2zTlSc]http://youtu.be/rJRWt2zTlSc[/video]
I mean, in summary with him, it isn't just the physical tools you see in guys each year. Some pan out, some don't. Usually those who don't are the ones with the physical gifts who can't add the talent or "skills" to go with it. They are the very "raw" guys. But when you see someone like Embiid, how far he's come in such a small span, and the skills that are already developing just as rapidly because of his exposure in other sports, it screams STAR. If we saw Drummond pulling off Dream Shakes in college, he doesn't fall to Detroit. Seven footers with this amount of coordination and signs of not just physical flashes, but learned techniques just do not come around often.
