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Philadelphia 76ers: What To Expect From Joel Embiid In First Preseason Game?

By George Kondoleon

Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons (R) is greeted by center Joel Embiid (L) during a press conference at the Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons (R) is greeted by center Joel Embiid (L) during a press conference at the Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia 76ers are saying that Joel Embiid will be ready to play this preseason, but what should we expect from his first preseason game.

The Philadelphia 76ers will finally get to see Joel Embiid in a live NBA game, and it will start with the preseason. There were many questions on how far along Embiid was, and whether or not he’ll be ready come opening night but the questions were somewhat answered. Head coach Brett Brown joined Zach Lowe on The Lowe Post once again and talked mostly Australian basketball, but he did have a huge comment on Joel Embiid.

You can listen to the podcast here, where Brown talks Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid around the 40th minute mark. Brown basically said that all signs were pointing towards Embiid hitting the court for the Philadelphia 76ers in the preseason. This is huge news, as fans have been waiting to see Embiid for two seasons now.

While it’s exciting to hear Embiid will be finally donning a Philadelphia 76ers uniform, it’s important to understand what to expect from his first competitive game in over two years. The Philadelphia 76ers will see Embiid play October 4th in Boston. So what should we expect from him?

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Post-Play

Embiid is a generational offensive low-post talent. The Philadelphia 76ers and Brett Brown will want to see that in action in his first game. Embiid will try to come out and work the Celtics’ big men, just to get a feel on how to score in the NBA. The post moves may not be as polished as expected his first game out, for obvious reasons, but expect an emphasis of scoring in the post.

Minutes Limits

The Philadelphia 76ers will surely be monitoring Embiid and his minutes in his first game out. Limiting his minutes is a way for the team to mitigate any other risk of injury and also allowing Embiid to ease into the NBA. Embiid is 22-years old and has spent two seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers’ training staff, but is still a rookie looking to transition. Many will want to see Embiid out there playing as much as he can, but limited minutes will further better his progress throughout his rookie season.

Willingness To Show Off Athleticism

A huge part of why the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Embiid is due to his amazing athleticism for his size. The athleticism may have taken a hit two surgeries later, and Embiid will be out to prove that theory wrong. Embiid will try to get up for an eye-popping dunk whenever he can in his first game. Embiid is a proud player and he will want the world to know he’s ready to play, and this time it’s not coming in some vine before the game.

Defensive Problems

Joel Embiid will turn out to be the Philadelphia 76ers’ best defensive center, even with Nerlens Noel, but for the first game he will see some issues. Embiid’s natural blocking ability is obvious, but playing NBA defense is one of the more challenging tasks for a rookie. It’s not just blocks, it’s defensive positioning. Understanding defensive positioning is something that’ll come along more during his rookie season, but expecting him to struggle with it at first.

Next: Olympic Tracking Episode 3

It’s a long way until October, but containing the excitement to see Embiid step on the court will be difficult. The Philadelphia 76ers could be seeing their future come together with Embiid and Ben Simmons, but for now it’s time to keep the first night, and maybe even first season, expectations low.