NBA Philadelphia 76ers

Joel Embiid or Nerlens Noel: Who Will Become Next Great Philadelphia 76ers Big Man?

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By @Greg_Sacidor

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Getty Images

Since moving to Philadelphia in 1963, the Philadelphia 76ers have always featured a dominant big man.

Whether it was Charles Barkley, Wilt Chamberlain, Billy Cunningham, Darryl Dawkins, Bobby Jones or Moses Malone, big men have usually always had a key role in the success of the franchise. As the 76ers continue their current rebuild, two young big men now stand as key members of a hopeful championship foundation.

Joel Embiid is a 20-year-old center from the African country of Cameroon. After coming to the United States as a teenager, Embiid eventually found himself at the University of Kansas, where he would play for only one season.

At the beginning of his college career, Embiid was overshadowed by his fellow freshman teammate Andrew Wiggins. But through his play on the court, Embiid soon began to make a name for himself. As he started to receive more minutes from his head coach Bill Self, Embiid grew out of Wiggins’ shadow and soon began to share the national spotlight with his Canadian teammate. During his development, scouts have even compared Embiid to Hakeem Olajuwon, a two-time NBA Champion with the Houston Rockets.

The other big man at the heart of this foundation is Nerlens Noel, a 6-foot-11 big man from the University of Kentucky. Just like Embiid, Noel only spent one season in college. Unlike Embiid, however, Noel was in the national spotlight from day one. He even made headlines for announcing his college decision by shaving the University of Kentucky’s logo into his now famous hairstyle.

But that is all behind them now. As the 2014-15 76ers season is underway, one big man finds himself out due to injury, while the other is making his return from injury. With both Embiid and Noel yet to play a single game for the 76ers, fans of the team are left to wonder which of these two young big men, if any, will be the driving force behind the team’s hopeful journey back to the top.

Although he brings an athletic defensive presence to the 76ers that is sure to excite the Philadelphia faithful, at this point in his career Noel lacks any kind of offensive game. Outside of easy put-backs and feeds off of a pick and roll, Noel has a hard time scoring points. Over the past year, head coach Brett Brown has even made an attempt to give Noel’s shooting stroke a complete makeover in order to eventually have his game resemble the game of Brooklyn Nets power forward Kevin Garnett.

Embiid may not be as athletic on the defensive end as Noel, but he is no liability. At Kansas, Embiid made himself known defensively, averaging 2.6 blocks per game. But what gives Embiid the chance to become the next great 76ers big man is his offensive skill set.

Like Olajuwon, Embiid grew up playing soccer. The footwork he developed on the pitch he now uses on the hardwood. Embiid possesses a wide variety of low post moves he can rely on to get himself easy points in the paint.

When looking at Embiid and Noel it is not hard to see that the future of the 76ers is bright. In a league today where most teams have a hard time finding one good power forward or center, the 76ers now possess a rare combination of two extremely talented big men. But if only one could be chosen to join the likes of Barkley, Chamberlain, Cunningham, Dawkins, Jones and Malone, Embiid’s talent on both sides of the floor make him the best bet.

Greg Sacidor is a Philadelphia 76ers and NBA writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Greg_Sacidor or add him to your network on Google.

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