Philadelphia 76ers: The Best And Worst Case Pro-Comparisons For Young Players

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Apr 8, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) practices prior to a game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. The New York Knicks won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Joel Embiid

Best Case Scenario: DeMarcus Cousins

Worst Case Scenario: Ian Mahinmi

Joel Embiid has been the Philadelphia 76ers top prospect for a couple years now, but has yet to play in a game. Touted as the next Hakeem Olajuwon by many, Embiid’s freakish athletic ability matched with his incredible size and skills make him the best big man prospect outside of Karl Anthony-Towns in recent memory. Embiid can hit the mid-range shot with decent ability and has polished post moves that can confuse any defender.

Embiid is also a force on defense, making him one of the most complete prospects in history. A great rebounder, scorer, and defender. Much like DeMarcus Cousins, who’s amongst the top-3 centers in the NBA. Cousins’ fierce competitive attitude and his incredible complete game makes him the perfect best-case scenario for Embiid, who can blossom into one of the games best scoring big man in a short amount of time.

Embiid’s worst case scenario is obviously the much compared to Greg Oden, but since we are doing current day players its Ian Mahinmi. Mahinmi is a backup quality center who can be a nice fill-in when needed. Embiid’s ceiling will depend more on his health, but if his game never comes together then expect him to have a long career of backup quality play.

Embiid is too talented to fall down this path, but the future is unknown. Embiid has already overcome huge obstacles before his career has even started, and he will have to go through even more obstacles.

Next: Nerlens Noel