January 26, 2017

Joel Embiid not voted into 2017 NBA All-Star Game

By Rich Hofmann
PhillyVoice Contributor

After all of the campaigning on social media and the campaigning by Brett Brown, Sixers center Joel Embiid will not be in the NBA All-Star Game barring an injury of some sort.

The NBA all-star reserves were revealed during Thursday night’s pre-game show on TNT, and the Eastern Conference coaches did not select the Sixers star rookie.

The Eastern Conference reserves were: Kyle Lowry, John Wall, Paul George, Paul Millsap, Kevin Love, Kemba Walker, and Isaiah Thomas.

Embiid, who was voted into the Rising Stars Challenge (aka the rookie-sophomore game), narrowly missed being named a starter last week. He gained the third-most votes in the Eastern Conference among frontcourt players, but Embiid didn’t fare as well in the player and media vote, which were also part of the criteria:

I freaking LOVE YALL... We did it even tho it wasn't enough haha #TheProcess #NoDate 🙄 pic.twitter.com/8IZkDE8AiV
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) January 20, 2017

One of the biggest talking points surrounding Embiid’s surprise candidacy was how much to factor in his limited minutes. It’s not really just that the “The Process” is playing with a 28-minute restriction; he’s also only played 30 games. Millsap, for instance, has played almost twice as much (1463 vs. 758 minutes) as Embiid while also have a similar drastically positive effect on his team.

But on a per-minute basis, Embiid really shines. Per-36 minutes, the rookie is averaging 28.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks while also playing elite defense. On the negative side of the ledger, he’s averaging 2.9 assists to 5.3 turnovers per-36, which is really the only glaring weakness in his game.

Among the Inside the NBA panel, former Sixer Charles Barkley lobbied hard for Embiid:

Barkley felt all All-Stars were deserving, but that it would have been nice to have Embiid there in perfect world.
— Brian Seltzer (@brianseltzer) January 27, 2017

From an entertainment standpoint, it's safe to say that the all-star game will also be a good bit less fun without Embiid.

Already as a rookie, it’s fair to say Embiid is one of the 12 most impactful players in the Eastern Conference. If he is able to stay healthy throughout his career, Embiid should become a mainstay in the all-star game for the next decade.

And as always, Embiid responded with his trademark sense of humor... and a shot at Shaq for good measure:

Well I guess the date is not gonna happen ha.... And that dude on tv clearly hates me for no reason lmao #BigGoof #TrustTheProcess
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) January 27, 2017