Embiid frustrated by Okafor pairing: 'I want be dominant on the block'

Joel Embiid loves the process - the process just doesn't love him back.

Embiid raced to a phenomenal start to his long-awaited rookie season, but came crashing to earth in Wednesday's loss to the Toronto Raptors after being forced to share the frontcourt with fellow center Jahlil Okafor.

Following the game, Embiid made it clear that he wasn't comfortable with the new alignment that saw the talented Cameroonian post his worst game of the season while being slotted on the perimeter.

"I'm not a 3-point shooter and I don't want to take a lot of threes," Embiid told CSN Philly's Jessica Camerato. "I want to be dominant on the block. But last night was kind of frustrating because I wasn't as much on the block. But I've just got to find my spots and get into the flow of the offense."

Starting two centers at the same time is nobody's idea of an ideal alignment in today's game, but it was a product of necessity. Deposed general manager Sam Hinkie took a hard-line "best player available" approach to the draft. That subsequently netted the Sixers three centers - Embiid, Okafor, and Nerlens Noel - who can't play together.

Related - Noel: 76ers need to figure out 'silly' center logjam

This problem was apparent as recently as last season, when the Noel-Okafor pairing failed. With Embiid joining the mix, things have only become more muddled, and Noel understands that challenge better than most.

"It was tough," Noel said. "I don't think Joel was too all into it with playing on the perimeter. It's different dynamics of having big men that can do different things on the court. It's a tough task to really figure out, if it's even able to be figured out."

Head coach Brett Brown also sympathized with Embiid, but he did urge his players to give it more patience - or to trust the process, as it were.

"His world was changed for a moment, so I can see why he wouldn't trust the process ... I just think through familiarity of our floor spots and how he finds ways to get himself engaged and he can control his own destiny and still impact the game, I think that's going to come in a very natural way," Brown said.