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The NBA world has yet to determine what the full extent of Joel Embiid's ceiling looks like, but we now know his floor.
As revealed on a TNT broadcast before his Philadelphia 76ers took on the Boston Celtics on Thursday night and emerged with an 89-80 victory in TD Garden, the center has officially become an All-Star for the first time in his promising career. And not just any All-Star, but a starter representing the Eastern Conference (and either Stephen Curry or LeBron James, depending on who drafts him).
Rihanna must be proud.
This might be his first selection to the midseason festivities, but it won't be his last, as he should quickly become a mainstay in the frontcourt. Even with Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and plenty of other notable figures competing to join James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyrie Irving and DeMar DeRozan in the starting five, Embiid was the proper choice during his sophomore season.
And he's only getting better.
Though Thursday's clash with the East-leading Celtics didn't see Kyrie Irving suit up and featured plenty of ugly basketball throughout a low-scoring first half, Embiid put on a show. Horford was the conference's most notable snub from the starting five, but he never looked capable of affecting the proceedings quite like his younger positional counterpart.
The Boston big finished with 14 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal, two blocks and too many periods of invisibility. Embiid, meanwhile, recorded a staggering 26 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, one steal and two blocks while shooting 10-of-19 from the field.
Not much of a comparison, right?
That's not to discredit the work Horford has done throughout 2017-18. He's been a key cog in the Celtics' defensive machine while serving as a facilitating hub for head coach Brad Stevens' positionless offense. His impact goes beyond his numbers. But you could lose him in the proceedings this time around, and the same statement almost never applies to Embiid—not just because of the ever-present theatrics.
All night, his touch on mid-range face-up attempts was phenomenal. Aron Baynes has served as a defensive stalwart all season, but he couldn't match up against Embiid's soft jumper:
The destruction was only magnified when Daniel Theis, who has consistently impressed on defense during his underrated rookie campaign, matched up against Embiid and ceded another inch. And when the 23-year-old starts pulling out moves ripped directly from Dirk Nowitzki's playbook, things start getting unfair:
But don't be fooled by the proliferation of jump-shooting highlights. His game is by no means limited to that singular facet, and the Celtics found that out the hard way. (Of course, they should already have known this, since he entered the outing averaging 23.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.9 blocks while shooting 48.6 percent from the field.)
Only Baynes, Salah Mejri and Hassan Whiteside, all of whom spend less time on the floor, have superior scores in ESPN.com's defensive real plus/minus, and that's not a fluke. Drive into his domain, and he'll often force a miss or swat the shot away. In fact, players seem to actively avoid entering territory Embiid occupies, instead settling for contested jumpers and action developing away from him.
Except avoiding him is easier said than done, because 7-footers aren't supposed to be so fleet of foot that they can capably stick with far smaller guards on the perimeter for extended periods. As Billy Penn's Dan Levy highlighted, Embiid did exactly that against Terry Rozier before pulling down the rebound and impacting the play in a different way:
Thus far, Embiid is the impetus behind Philadelphia's success. And that italicized exaggeration is important, as no one else has this impactful of a presence. The Sixers are outscoring opponents by a whopping 8.7 points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor, which would leave them behind only the Golden State Warriors (10.7) in the season-long standings. But when he doesn't play, the net rating plummets to a putrid minus-6.2, which is more comparable to the efforts of the No. 28 Chicago Bulls (minus-6.3).
The other biggest swings among rotation members in the City of Brotherly Love? Robert Covington's presence causes the net rating to spike from minus-7.7 to 6.4. JJ Redick boosts Philly from minus-3.1 to 3.9, and rookie phenom Ben Simmons pushes the net rating from minus-1.0 to 2.0.
Only Covington, who fills a complementary role to perfection with his three-and-D proclivities, comes close to matching the Embiid swing. And the center is no complementary piece. He's a star—an All-Star, in fact—with so much more room to grow.
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What happens when Embiid learns how to shoot jumpers from the outside with more consistency? His form already looks solid and he steps into his treys confidently, but he's connecting on just 28.9 percent of his three-point attempts and sits in the 26.3 percentile for spot-up points per possession.
And then we have the two biggest weaknesses, which Bleacher Report's Dan Favale highlighted perfectly while he and I ranked Embiid as the NBA's No. 2 center (sneak preview: He'll also sit in the top 15 of our overall top 100 next week):
"He remains an injury risk, someone the Philadelphia 76ers cannot count on for 70 games or in both nights of a back-to-back. He is more than occasionally sloppy with the ball; his turnover rate on post-ups is still too high, and he coughs up possession on nearly 13 percent of his drives—the third-worst mark among more than 175 players to appear in at least 10 games.
"Though Embiid's assist totals are solid for a big man, he suffers from frequent tunnel vision on the block and off the dribble."
The injury risk might never disappear. Maybe it will. No one, presumably even the Philadelphia front office and training staff, knows with any certainty. But even a little bit of sustained health might allow this celestial center to spend more time with his running mates on the practice floor, which can only help him become more effective when the minutes actually matter.
The turnovers, however, should improve as he gains more experience at the professional level.
They currently kill his standing in quite a few offensive metrics, but he's already showing signs of better passing vision. Derek Bodner of The Athletic would agree:
Quite a few of his passes against Boston were impressive, as he consistently hit open players and found teammates lurking in the corners. But perhaps none was better than this feed out of the post to a cutting Dario Saric:
No one will mistake Embiid for Draymond Green anytime soon, but these remain encouraging signs. Remember, we're talking about a second-year player who's already lost countless appearances and practice sessions to injury. Any growth is good growth, and especially so when the area of improvement has served as a significant weakness.
The big man will continue improving naturally as he builds chemistry with Simmons and learns the nuances of the NBA game. But this kind of targeted surge should inspire more confidence in the long-term progression of a young man who already functions as the game's most dominant center when he's in working order.
He's now an All-Star starter. He'll be brushing shoulders with James, Antetokounmpo, Curry, Kevin Durant and the league's other marquee figures when they all converge on Los Angeles in mid-February.
Except for Embiid, that's only the beginning.
Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @fromal09.
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats from Basketball Reference, NBA.com, NBA Math or ESPN.com and are current heading into games on Jan. 18.
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A week ago, the Philadelphia 76ers blew a 22-point lead and fell to the Boston Celtics in London.
On Thursday night, they exacted their revenge with an 89-80 win at TD Garden to avoid a season series sweep at the hands of their Atlantic Division foes.
The 80 points were a season-low for the Celtics (34-12), and it would have been easy to point to Kyrie Irving's absence (left shoulder soreness) as the reason for their scoring woes.
Instead, the loss represented more of the same for a squad that entered the night ranked 29th in offensive rating (98.5) dating back to the start of the new year.
The Sixers (21-20) were short-handed as well with JJ Redick out because of a small cortical crack in his left leg, but they found sustainable offense from a host of contributors.
Chief among them was Joel Embiid.
In 35 minutes, the newly minted All-Star starter posted 26 points (10-of-19 shooting), 16 rebounds and six assists as he made light work of seemingly every big body the Celtics threw his way one game after Boston surrendered 45 points and 16 boards to New Orleans Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis.
Needless to say, that was a welcome return to form for Embiid after he averaged 13.0 points on 30.3 percent shooting in his first two appearances against the Celtics earlier this season.
Embiid and backup point guard T.J. McConnell were especially clutch in the third quarter—a period that has plagued the Sixers all season—when they combined for 19 points to give Philadelphia an 18-point cushion entering the final frame.
McConnell totaled 15 points and three steals as he finished in double figures for the third straight game.
The Sixers also played the Celtics even in a clash of high-profile rookies as Ben Simmons stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, seven rebounds and four assists while Jayson Tatum was limited to 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting.
Tatum's inability to catch fire sans Irving was bad enough, but compounding matters was the fact Boston compiled 13 assists compared to 19 turnovers.
For a team that had been averaging 14.1 giveaways a night, that sloppiness wasn't encouraging.
With or without Irving, the Celtics will attempt to snap their two-game losing skid Sunday when they host the Orlando Magic.
The Sixers, meanwhile, will aim for a third straight win Saturday when Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks pay a visit to Wells Fargo Center.
Despite an ardent fan campaign to get Joel Embiid with Rihanna, he said he is "onto the next one."
For context, Embiid officially became an All-Star after the starters for the game were announced Thursday.
Making the All-Star Game, especially your first, is naturally a big deal for any player, but this might have even more meaning for Embiid.
Prior to the start of his rookie season, the 76ers center went on a social media campaign to go on a date with Rihanna. Despite his many attempts to get her attention on various social media platforms, all of his attempts came up short. However, according to Embiid, "a famous girl" he was trying to get with told him to come back when he was an All-Star.
This is the truth... I was trying to get with this famous girl and she said " Come back when you're a All Star" bruhh pic.twitter.com/CFBnRqnKMA — Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) August 17, 2014
Well, the day has arrived, and people wanted to know what Rihanna will do now that Embiid has fulfilled his end of the deal.
So naturally, the best way to figure this out, is by tagging Joel Embiid's on Rihanna's Instagram post.
But Embiid knows Rihanna missed her shot, saying she denied him them, and he's moving on.
Sorry Rihanna, The Process is moving on pic.twitter.com/rubZ2XTIsF — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 19, 2018
It's unlikely something would have happened anyway as the pop star is rumored to be dating billionaire Hassan Jameel.
But it's fun to think about how cute JoJo and RiRi would be together.
That's all I gotta say......@rihanna repping the @Sixers and my jersey number #EMB11D ( got this from JD) pic.twitter.com/QVsqP7SvGs — Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 23, 2014
If she was willing to "wear" Embiid's rookie jersey, who knows just how deep their love could actually be?
Years ago, Joel Embiid was turned down by Rihanna, who said he needed to be an All-Star. Now that he is a starter, he's moving on from her. (0:24)
Embiid on Rihanna: 'Move on to the next one' (0:24)
BOSTON -- When word emerged that Joel Embiid had been voted an Eastern Conference All-Star starter before Thursday's game in Boston, Philadelphia 76ers coaches and teammates flocked to his locker stall to celebrate the moment.
That parade of well-wishers included Sixers coach Brett Brown, who came over from the coaches' room to offer a congratulatory handshake then gushed about what Embiid's nod means to the franchise as a whole.
Editor's Picks LeBron, Curry win ASG voting, to be captains LeBron James received the most votes in the Eastern Conference, while Stephen Curry was tops in the West. They will serve as All-Star Game captains and pick their teams, which will be announced Jan. 25.
"Like somebody just gave one of your children a star and put it on his paper. It's true," Brown said. "[Embiid] and I have been doing this for a long time, and I have been with him the longest out of any of the players in the locker room. He's gone through a lot. To think that somebody that's played -- what is it, 65 games? -- just from that small sample size is now on the All-Star team and starting?
"His story of perseverance is remarkable, and his story as it reflects the organization and the process that we've all been going through is a wonderful story. I'm just very proud of him."
Embiid celebrated his All-Star nod with a monster effort against the East-leading Celtics, putting up 26 points and 16 rebounds as Philadelphia prevented Boston from completing a four-game season sweep with an 89-80 triumph at TD Garden.
He downplayed the notion that the All-Star announcement provided extra motivation.
"I felt like I would have been extra motivated if I had not been a starter," Embiid said. "The coaches told me, they were like, 'You don't have anything to prove. Just play basketball.'"
During a postgame interview with ESPN following Philadelphia's win, Embiid was asked whether he might finally have a chance of landing a date with pop star Rihanna now that he was a bona fide All-Star.
"She denied me back then; there's no reason to go back to her," Embiid said. "So I gotta move on to the next one. There's a lot of pretty women out there, and I'm beautiful, so I gotta move on to the next one."
Embiid often professed his fondness for Rihanna in 2013 then tweeted in 2014: "I was trying to get with this famous girl and she said, 'Come back when you're an All-Star.'"
Fans responded to Embiid's All-Star nod by flooding Rihanna's Instagram mentions with his username. Trust the process, indeed.
Embiid thanked the fans on Twitter for their support.
Fantastic day!!!! We got a great win and I became an ALL STAR.... I wanna thank all of you guys out there and the organization for the support.. We've been through so much but this is for you guys so THANK YOU #TheProcess pic.twitter.com/8PjJre90KZ — Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) January 19, 2018
His team having posted consecutive wins over the two top teams in the East (Toronto and Boston) while moving back into the playoff picture, Brown took great pride in reflecting on how far Embiid and the Sixers as a whole have come this season.
"[The All-Star nod is] significant for him. It's significant for any player," Brown said. "It validates his perseverance, and to think that he hasn't really done a lot of practicing yet still produces the results that he produces is just further, to me, incentive on trying to help get him in better shape and help all that as his health allows. It's just to remind him that what you've done is amazing and well done, and we've got more to give and we've got more to go."
Embiid dipped deep into his offensive toolbox against Boston, showcasing a variety of post moves, including silky fadeaways and brute force and-1s.
The Celtics had few answers for Embiid as Philly built as much as a 21-point lead. Boston made a late charge but couldn't come all the way back.
"[Embiid] got it going," said Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown. "I think he got comfortable and just got it rolling. He was scoring, getting calls, all of the above. We won't see them again maybe until the playoffs. But if we do, we've just gotta do a better job trying to contain him. He's a really good player. Strong. And he's big. And he's good at getting fouls. So we've gotta do a better job of that, and they've gotta let us touch him."
Embiid noted how he played poorly in previous matchups against Boston and wanted to redeem himself.
"I've been struggling a little bit against that team, the two games that I've played against them. So tonight I really wanted to play better," Embiid said.
Boston-Philly would be the No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup if the playoffs started today.
"I feel like we're right there with them," Embiid said. "I don't know what seed we're going to be, but that's a potential matchup in the playoffs, so we always want to come out and try to dominate. Let them know that it's not going to be easy."
But there's a lot to accomplish before then. Like that trip to Los Angeles for the All-Star Game.
"I'm ready. I'm excited," Embiid said. "First time, so it should be really fun."
