The Sixers announced today that center Joel Embiid will miss the remainder of the season. The good news is that the bone bruise and meniscus tear in his left knee are not related to the foot problems that robbed him of his first two NBA seasons. Embiid should be fully recovered well before the start of training camp.
The announcement signals an end to a rookie season that saw Embiid establish himself as one of the league’s best big men. His impressive numbers included 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game with a restriction that limited him to about 25 minutes per night. Adjust those numbers to 36 minutes and they turn into 28.7 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.5 blocks, which would have him squarely in the race for MVP.
But the number that might cost Embiid the Rookie of the Year trophy is 31, which is how many games he was able to play. Voters will have to decide if a player can earn a major award in just 38% of a season. Patrick Ewing holds the record low among ROY winners with 50 games in 1985-86 and Bill Walton was named MVP in 1977-78 despite playing just 58 times, so voters have a history of forgiving injuries when players are dominant.
Embiid’s major competitor for Rookie of the Year honors is Milwaukee’s Malcolm Brogdon, who averages 9.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists through 58 games. He has become an important part of the Bucks’ rotation, but his stats don’t begin to match Embiid’s. Others who might be considered include Sixers forward Dario Saric and Lakers forward Brandon Ingram.
So how would you vote? Are 31 games of brilliance enough for Embiid to win the trophy? Or should the voters value quantity as much as quality?
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. We look forward to what you have to say.
Jaylen Brown??? Brandon Ingram has been no where close to Jaylen or Saric or Malc this year, and Jaylen contributes to a #2 seed and has made mass improvements since the turn of 2017. Please don’t sleep on that man!
He could do it with a big finish, but the same could be said about everyone else you listed. It’ll be a tight race.
No other rookie provided more value to his team than Joel Embiid this season, Dario Saric included. He is far and away the Rookie of the Year.
if Embiid could stay healthy he would be rookie of year hands down.
Malcolm Brogan has had the best overall season out of saric,Ingram and Embiid.
Except Saric’s numbers are better right now and will continue to improve since he’s getting more minutes each game.
begn to match? begn??????
Had he stayed healthy, no doubt Embiid would win Rookie of the Year. But if voters don’t think he played enough to warrant consideration, I would say next best is Malcolm Brogdon. Not only is he the best 3pt shooter among rookies (also #1 in assists among rookies), he’s in the top 15 in 3pt% in the NBA.
Embiid ROY ?
Hail to the Nah !!
50 games would be borderline.
Best player ? Embiid hands down star in the making. ROY ? No way.
Dario Saric has been destroying lately. I have to think it will go to him. Brogdon has been good, but if Saric finishes the season the way he’s been playing, he will take it.
But turn the coin over.
Brogdon has been playing more minutes lately too. He’s going to get more counting stats as the season wears on. Delly is terrible, Middleton still working his way back into the rotation and Brogdon shows no signs of a Rookie wall.
Brogdon is ahead of Saric. I think Saric can catch him but he’d really need to go on a 20 & 10 sort of tear.
It is ROY not MVP. Is it a big deal? Is Embiid really a rookie if he has been practicing with the team for two years?
Will he be a Rookie again next year now because he didn’t play much? Lol. Brogdon is the Roy right now
Nah.. they have Simmons.. :)
Here’s the thing. Embiid will have missed 32 games, but no other rookie was on the same level as him. There’s your dilemma. I think Embiid actually has a good chance to win still, but Brogdon could easily take it.
Brogdon should be the frontrunner but the NBA still gave ROY to Michael carter Williams over the GREEK FREAK a cupel of years ago.
Gee you’re not too much of a homer are you…
Ingram? You kidding.
If he finishes out the last 20 like the past 5, Jaylen Brown…
I agree Ingram probably shouldn’t be in the conversation (although he is because no other rookie, outside of the obvious ones, has done anything significant), but Brown hasn’t done much either. He’s been impressive, but not RoY impressive. If you’re going to say that Brown should get the RoY based on his last 25 games, then Embiid should get it because he was far and away the best rookie for the 30 something games he played.
Is embiid good? Yes, he has a lot of talent…
Would embiid be Roy if he was healthy this seaoon? Hands down, yes
Should,embiid be classified as a rookie? No, imo how can you classify him as a rookie if he has been with the team for 2 years. Able to go to team meetings, workout with team staff, etc.. when college kids isn’t have any of that.. different argument ..
Should he win Roy? I don’t think he should due to the fact he was on minutes restrcitictions which could have given extra games to play before injury occurs and he didn’t play enough games… why should he be able to take an award away from a kid who truly got drafted last year and played a full season…
It’s probably between Saric and Brogdon. I also think Rodney McGruder should get votes, as well as Jaylen Brown. Those guys and Embiid would be my all rookie 1st team. I like Ingram, but he’d be behind those guys for me this year
How about Hernangomez from the Knicks?
The title is Rookie he is one, but of the Year,? He hasn’t played but a few games 31 there’s 82 on the schedule this sort of eliminates him you gotta play not his fault for injuries but it’s a part of a players value not for me he was impressive but if only from a limited sample.
Brogdon or Brown. It’s a 2 man race as far as I’m concerned. This was a way over hyped class. Ingram will b a good starter in the NBA but never an all star. And Simmons will b lucky to play enough significant mins next year to develop into what he was “supposed” to be. The 76ers obviously need a new team doctor.
Why not Saric? Second leading scorer amongst rookies (behind Embiid). In fact, he’s taken on a bigger role with the Sixers with the injuries/role confusion between Embiid, Okafor, and Noel.