The Case For Joel Embiid Being NBA's Defensive Player Of The Year
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There is a case to be made for Joel Embiid being this year's NBA defensive player of the year.
And thanks to Hoops Reference, the case has now been made.
Embiid, 23, is 6th in the NBA averaging 1.79 blocks per game, but that doesn't even begin to tell the story of his defensive impact.
"The Sixers out score opponents by double digits with Embiid on the court with other starters," the narrator of the video explains.
Furthermore, Embiid's matchup shoots 48.5-percent on any given night, but when Embiid guards him he only shoots 40.7-percent."
And lastly, the Sixers are currently 4th in the NBA in defensive rating (102.9) behind only the Celtics, Spurs, and Raptors -- three savvy, veteran, and well-coached teams. The Sixers are third in opponents points per game in the paint (41.2). The Sixers lead the NBA in defensive rebounds with 35.7 per game.
Embiid spearheads all of those numbers.
