Rookie of the Year: NBA 1st Half Awards

Matthew Huang

Staff Writer

Throughout the next week, Reverse Jam will release a series of articles that will replicate the NBA's end-of-season awards at the end of the 1st half. In a long NBA season, a lot can change and it is important to recognize a player's or team's efforts thus far.

Joel Embiid  “Sam Hinkie’s Martyr” - 1st Half Rookie of the Year

Prior to this season, the 22 year old out of Kansas University hadn’t played a game of basketball since March of 2014.  For nearly 2.5 years,Embiid was sentenced to the sidelines forced to witness the  tanking machine that was the 76ers.  He may not have been entirely public about his daily workouts and did not update fans on his condition, but he put in work.  In the 2013-2014 college season, Embiid put up 11.2/8.1/1.4 on .626/.200/.685, numbers that were not historic, but he showed potential to be a prominent big man in today’s 3-pt dominated NBA. Fast forward to the beginning of the 2016 NBA season, Embiid is playing for arguably the best lineup Philadelphia has put out since this guy was on the team.

Andre Iguodala

Embiid has taken the NBA by storm, averaging 18p/7.6r through his first 9 games despite only playing around 23min/gm….  The NBA quickly turned their attention to the man many had forgotten since his days as a Jayhawk.  Embiid did not stop putting up good numbers, and proved to the NBA that his game had come a very long way since we had last seen it.  In college, Embiid had taken 5 whole 3-pointers, making 1.  In just 28 games this season, the same amount he played with Kansas, Embiid has taken 87 and made 30 resulting in a very respectable 34.5%.

But it does not stop there, Embiid worked diligently with prominent NBA skill coach Drew Hanlen, adding moves to his post game arsenal, expanding his range, and improving his tried and true interior defense and mid-range shooting skills.

Embiid has one of the most refined post-games in the NBA, despite only playing 28 games. He is extremely dynamic, stepping out to the arc when the opportunity presents itself and relentlessly taking it inside when it does not.  He also does not suffer from the same disease that a lot of the NBA’s prominent big men are prone to, in that he is not a liability at the free throw line.  Embiid is also a great off-court presence, uniting both his team and the entire city of Philadelphia for the first time in recent history. He has welcomed young guys like Simmons and Saric, and has made the 76ers a fun team to watch.  While their record does not reflect their skill as a team, the 76ers are a very solid basketball team that plays good basketball - due largely to Embiid’s efforts.  Embiid posesses a +/- of +48 meaning his time on the court has resulted in a positive net compared to when he sits. Joel Embiid's presence is certainly a known factor as he contributes not only on the offensive end but also on the defensive end, tallying in a very intimidating 2.5 blocks/game.

I would highly suggest you, reader, to watch 76ers games if you have not already.  While the team is not setting any records, Embiid and crew play a game of basketball that is almost unique in this day and age.  In an oversaturated league of 3-pointers, lazy defense and melodramatic off-court shenanigans, Embiid displays great post game, is dynamic and (above all) has a great twitter feed.  Concluding, this award is extremely easy to give to Embiid as he is the only Rookie averaging over 10ppg…. But that is not a knock on The Process, in his short NBA career, he has already proven to the NBA that he is a force to be reckoned with for years to come.