Smallwood: Has Joel Embiid played enough to win rookie of year?
THERE IS NO question who is the best rookie in the NBA. Sixers center Joel Embiid is hands-down better than anyone else, and by a large margin.
THERE IS NO question who is the best rookie in the NBA. Sixers center Joel Embiid is hands-down better than anyone else, and by a large margin.
When Embiid plays, he performs like an All-Star and gives Sixers fans hope that he is the transcendent force that "The Process" was designed to procure.
Ah, but should "how much" Embiid plays be as pertinent as "how well" he plays when considering an award like rookie of the year?
There are no listed guidelines, but is it practical to expect that there would be a minimum number of games a player should play to qualify for a seasonal award?
By the numbers, Embiid leads rookies in average points (20.2 points), rebounds (7.8) and blocks (2.5). Realistically, since it selected with regard to position, those numbers would have him in contention for center on one of the All-NBA teams.
Embiid did not make this weekend's All-Star Game in large part because media members and players who participated in the voting process did not think he had played enough games.
Because of precautions about past injuries and the effects of a current one, Embiid has played in only 31 of the Sixers' first 55 games.
On Saturday, Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo acknowledged that Embiid has a tear in the meniscus of his left knee to go along with the bone bruise the team has given as the reason for him sitting out 12 of the previous 13 games.
Colangelo didn't give a date for Embiid's return, but said it wouldn't be until after the All-Star Game.
The Sixers have 26 games remaining after the break. If they adhere to stated policy, Embiid will not play both ends of the three remaining back-to-backs.
That leaves 23 games, and with the team using anything more than a hangnail as an excuse to sit him, how many of those will Embiid play?
Do the math.
Embiid needs to play in 10 more games simply to make it to 41 - half of a NBA season. He would have to play in 73 percent of the Sixers' games after the break to reach 50.
Will it matter? There are precedents for players winning rookie of the year when playing significantly fewer games.
With 50 games in the 1985-86 season, Knicks center Patrick Ewing played the fewest games for a ROY. Ewing averaged 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 50 starts. Seattle forward Xavier McDaniel, who averaged 17.1 points and 8.0 rebounds, started 80 games but finished second.
Portland swingman Brandon Roy won the 2006-07 award while limited to 57 games because of injury. He averaged 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists to finish ahead of Toronto's Andrea Bargnani (11.6 points, 3.9 rebounds), who played 65 games.
Roy got 127 out of a possible 128 first-place votes.
Vince Carter (50) and Kyrie Irving (51) are the only others to win ROY while playing fewer than 60 games, but both earned it in lockout-shortened seasons.
What are the odds of Embiid playing in 19 of the last 25 games (76 percent) to get to 50 games, which is about 60 percent of a normal season?
I'd have to think hard about giving a season award to a guy who barely played a half season - not that I have a vote.
Still, the statistical differences between Embiid and the other contenders are so dramatic that they cannot be ignored.
Going into Monday's games, Sixers teammate Dario Saric had played in all 54 games and averaged 10.5 points and 5.7 rebounds. Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon was averaging 9.5 points and 4.2 assists in 53 games.
I wouldn't be surprised if Embiid, who was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for November, December and January, hasn't already convinced enough voters.
If the number of games played does not factor into a voter's calculation, Embiid can start polishing his ROY acceptance speech.
The magic number, however, does appear to be 50 games, and you wonder whether Sixers would push the envelope to make sure Embiid gets to that number so he can lock up the ROY?
But will they even have to?
To be honest, we don't need more than the 31 games Embiid has already played to understand that he is the top rookie.
Embiid's numbers are so superior it would seem ridiculous to vote for someone else.
Can you imagine a guy who plays only 40 to 45 games joining Ralph Sampson, David Robinson, Blake Griffin, Tim Duncan, Damian Lillard and Karl-Anthony Towns as the only other rookie to collect all of the first-place votes?
If it comes to that, it should happen with Embiid.
The NBA views rookies under a different prism from regular players. It is interesting that while Embiid has not played enough to qualify for the overall league leaders, the NBA lists him among rookie leaders, in which he tops several major categories.
If Embiid's statistics are ranked with other rookies, why shouldn't they be the primary factor for ROY?
There is no requirement for the number of games played to win a season award.
Joel Embiid is too clear-cut as the best rookie to hold that against him.
@SmallTerp