My colleague John Gonzalez posed the question to Sixers Pregame and Postgame Live analyst Jim Lynam recently in the CSN newsroom: Should Nerlens Noel or Andrew Wiggins win Rookie of the Year?
Instead of answering the question, Lynam chose to advance the conversation. He changed the discussion to if the draft was held today, would you draft Noel or Wiggins? Lynam picked Noel, while Gonzalez went with Wiggins (see story).
I opted to side with the coach — and not just because we share the same last name — but because Noel has game-changing talents that we don't see every day.
Their discussion got me thinking about another one regarding the upcoming NBA draft. Would you rather have Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns?
Okafor vs. Towns is a common debate when talking about who should go No. 1 overall in this year's draft. However, Embiid will also be part of their rookie class after sitting this season to recover from foot surgery.
Is Embiid lesser, as good, or a better talent than the two other big men playing in this weekend's Final Four?
The question becomes seriously important if the Sixers land the No. 1 overall pick. Embiid, Noel and either of the two aforementioned college players cannot all exist on one roster.
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One year of college basketball is such a small sample to decide who will become the best pro, but it is all we have for each player.
Okafor is 19 years old, stands 6-foot-10 and weighs 270 pounds. He has averaged 17.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game at Duke this season. Okafor's 66.8 field goal percentage is very impressive, but his 51.1 free throw percentage brings visions of potential Hack-a-Okafor situations in the NBA. The Blue Devil does average 1.4 blocks per game, as well.
The 19-year-old Towns is 6-foot-11 and weighs 250 pounds. Towns' points and rebound averages are well off those of Okafor's at 10.1 and 6.6 per game, respectively. However, he shoots 56.3 percent from the floor, 81.7 percent at the line and averages 2.3 blocks a night.
Then there is Embiid. The 21-year-old 7-footer weighs 250 pounds. As a freshman at Kansas last season, he averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks a game. His field goal percentage was 62.6 and his free throw percentage was 68.5.
Embiid will have one big advantage over the other two when he takes the court next season after being an NBA intern for a year.
Like Noel did before him, Embiid has been with the Sixers all season but never played a single game. Noel more than benefited from his recovery time with the Sixers, even if he didn't realize those benefits until this year rolled around.
Having the No. 1 overall pick can be a blessing or a curse. The pressure to pick right is tremendous.
If the situation presents itself, I lean toward the Sixers going a different direction than the two Final Four participants.
Despite his previous back and foot injuries, Embiid is the way to go. His work before every Sixers game displays the agility and determination to get back on the court to dominate.
Okafor and Towns are intriguing prospects, but no more than the guy who was compared to a young Hakeem Olajuwon just a year ago.