Philadelphia 76ers: Embiid caps off historic October by dropping 41 on LA
After averaging 27 points and 11.8 rebounds in October, Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid ushered in November by dropping 41 on the LA Clippers.
Don’t look now, but Joel Embiid is off to one of the best starts in Philadelphia 76ers franchise history.
Over the first 10 games of the season, Embiid has scored at least 30 points while hauling in 10 rebounds five times, the first time any 76er has accomplished said feat since ‘The Roud Mound of Rebound’ Charles Wade Barkley did so all the way back in 1991.
In 1991, Embiid wasn’t even born yet.
Joel Embiid had five 30-point, 10-rebound games in October, the most such games in a month by a @sixers player since Mar. 1991 (Charles Barkley, 6). #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/O6T7PJAK9I
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) October 31, 2018
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That’s right, two years removed from a ‘heavy’ minutes restriction, Embiid has effectively shed the ‘injury prone’ tag that haunted him over the first two years of his NBA career and has become a consistent 30-plus minute a night performer, and has rewarded Brett Brown‘s due diligence by becoming arguably the best center in the entire league.
Need proof? Look no further than the Sixers November 1st 122-113 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers: A game that very well may be the signature contest of Joel Embiid’s still blossoming NBA career.
Leading the team with 41 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks, and a +16 Real Plus-Minus, Embiid ate Doc Rivers lunch for 33 glorious minutes and got his no matter how the Clippers decided to defend him.
And believe me, they tried everything.
From Marcin Gortat to Suplex supporting sneakerhead Montrezl Harrell, there wasn’t a player on the Clippers squad who could stop Embiid from getting to the basket, not even the 7-foot-3, 290-pound mountain of a man Boban Marjanovic.
Even the combination of Marjanovic and Harrell, a perfect complement of size, speed, and strength couldn’t keep Embiid out of the paint for more than a few possessions.
But Embiid didn’t just do his damage in the paint; no The Process was an equal opportunity scorer.
Knocking down exactly half of his shots from the field, including 3-8 attempts from downtown, Embiid turned in one of those vintage ‘Embiid performances’ that Philly fans have selfishly come to expect whenever the 7-foot-tall superstar steps on the court at the Wells Fargo Center, giving fans their money’s worth night after night.
While this may have been only the second time in his career that Embiid drop 40 or more points in a single game, but it’s certainly not going to be the last time.
Locked into a five-year, $147 million max contract he signed this time last year, Embiid is (virtually) guaranteed to be a Philadelphia 76er for the next half-decade-plus, when he will be able to re-up for an even bigger deal at the tender age of 29.
Next. Philadelphia 76ers reminded once again what could have been with Kawhi Leonard. dark
Process this, the future is bright for the Philadelphia 76ers, but games like November 1st should serve as a solid reminder that the present is pretty great too, even if this team could seriously use a shooter like Danilo Gallinari to take their offense over the top.