Embiid wants NBA All-Star ballot to bring back centers
It's been four years since the NBA eliminated the center position from its All-Star ballot, electing to have three frontcourt positions instead of two forwards and a traditional five-man.
Rookie Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is a legitimate 7-footer with aspirations of making it to the February showcase at some point in his career. He sees the current crop of young, highly talented centers establishing themselves in the league, hoping one day the position will return to prominence during an era of basketball where teams are resorting to smaller lineups.
Having centers back on the ballot would help in bringing some respect back to the role.
"You've got KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns), you've got Myles Turner, you've got Kristaps (Porzingis), so a lot of young guys, a lot of dominant big men, Andre Drummond. I'm hoping they bring back the center position for All-Star," Embiid said following his team's win over the Miami Heat on Monday, according to CSN Philly's Jessica Camerato. "Around the league, there's a lot of young big men and I think we're starting a comeback."
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At the time of its removal, former vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson stated that the game was evolving and moving away from using traditional centers, which played a part in the thought process behind taking it off the ballot. Having three frontcourt players also provides the opportunity to have two or even three centers in the starting lineup, although fans haven't made that happen with their voting.
With just 10 games of NBA experience under his belt, Embiid is looking like someone who - if he stays healthy - will be in the conversation for an All-Star nod in the coming years. He generates a ton of buzz on social media with his humorous tweets and posts, while also putting up impressive numbers with the Sixers.
In just 22.2 minutes per game, Embiid is contributing 18.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.3 rejections on 49.2 percent shooting.