Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid, who averaged a career-high 28.5 points per game with 10.6 rebounds this season, was recently named one of the three finalists for league MVP. But does the four-time All-Star have the skillset and durability to be the centerpiece of a title-winning team?
JR discussed the topic during Tuesday's edition of the JR SportBrief show.
"I wouldn't bet on it. I think he's too injury-prone," JR said. "I think in the modern NBA, you have a better chance of having a lead guard as your team centerpiece. And when I say guard, you know what, you can say ball-handler. It doesn't matter if it's a Luka Doncic, or a LeBron James, or a Damian Lillard, a James Harden. A Kevin Durant, whose job is so easy. I envy Kevin Durant. Not that I played ball, but he gets to play with two All-Stars. He just has to get into position and do what he wants to do. I think that's the type of player.
"I think it's difficult right now to hinge your future on a big man in the NBA. You know, your Dirk Nowitzkis, that's a rarity, and that was an amazing [Mavericks] team. All of those vets had to step up around Dirk. You think about Shaquille O'Neal's time. He had the benefit of having an amazing team around him. He also had some guy named Kobe Bryant. And so, Joel Embiid is in an interesting spot."
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Embiid is listed as doubtful to play in Game 5 against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night due to right knee soreness. The 27-year-old suffered the knee injury midway through the first quarter of Game 4 on Monday, when he landed awkwardly underneath the basket after having a shot attempt blocked.
Through the first three games of the series, Embiid was a dominant force. He averaged 29.3 points with seven rebounds in 28 minutes, while shooting 67.4-percent from the field and 54.3-percent from behind the arc.
Philadelphia, which owns a 3-1 series lead, will host Game 5 at Wells Fargo Center, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Sixers have a 68-percent chance of advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, and a 34-percent chance of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 2001.
JR's complete thoughts on Embiid and the Sixers can be accessed in the audio player above.
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