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Which first-time playoff performer are you most eager to see?
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David Aldridge: Why, Mr. Process, of course! How can you not be geeked to find out what Joel Embiid will do on the big stage? There’s so much that he (and Ben Simmons) have to learn about playoff basketball, and there will no doubt be stumbles and fumbles along the way. But Embiid has Finals MVP talent; he’s capable of dominating games at both ends of the floor and handling the media crush that comes in the postseason with charm and aplomb. He is, as Erik Spoelstra likes to say, built for this.
Steve Aschburner: Utah Jazz guard Ricky Rubio, if only because there’s some justice for the feisty point guard in reaching the postseason a few days ahead of the team that discarded him (assuming Minnesota gets there Wednesday night). Rubio has improved as a shooter for the third consecutive year and has had a solid season overall for Utah, a team that potential Western Conference foes are smart to dread. The difference in Rubio’s production from Jeff Teague, the point guard who replaced him in Minnesota (at a considerable bump in pay), was slight, with Teague more stylistically suited to Tom Thibodeau’s Wolves but Rubio the better defender. Based on seeding, Rubio’s season is likely to last longer, too.
Shaun Powell: Joel Embiid is the choice, if only because of everything he has gone through, injury-wise — and continues to go through, given his eye socket injury. He’s made for the spectacle because of his massive talent and robust personality, which should play favorably on the big stage. The NBA playoffs are better off with the league’s young stars still around to get some shine, and the spotlight will love Embiid. And vice versa.
John Schuhmann: Ben Simmons. I not only want to see how he performs, but also how opponents defend him. Will he be able to play with the pace that he wants to when defenses are more focused on getting back in transition? How will his inability to shoot from distance affect the defense when he doesn’t have the ball? The Sixers have improved offensively as the season has gone on and they keep the ball and bodies moving, so it will be interesting to see what opposing defenses try to take away from them.
Sekou Smith: The more I see from Ben Simmons, the more intrigued I am by his game. What will his limitations as a perimeter shooter mean for the walking triple-double? How will he adjust in a playoff atmosphere to defenses designed (and daring him) to beat them with outside shots? Is he capable of adjusting and remaining just as effective with the added pressure of the postseason? I apologize for answering a question with a couple questions of my own, but it’s strange for there to be this must intrigue about a player we’ve studied so intently all season. That said, Simmons and Joel Embiid together make the Sixers a must-watch for as long as their maiden playoff voyage lasts.
