Philly athletes get disrespected more than any others in the country. No matter what sport you play, if your home games are in south Philly, you are nationally unloved.
This rule goes for any regular Philadelphia athlete, and even some of our most extraordinary, such as NBA stars, Joel Embiid and James Harden.
The back-to-back MVP runner up
Embiid, snubbed from the all-star starter title, is by far the best center in the Eastern Conference. The seven-footer from Kansas leads not only the Eastern Conference in points per game, but the whole league as well. Embiid also averages 10.1 rebounds per game, which is third among all Eastern Conference centers and eighth in the entire league among centers.
Embiid separates himself from the rest of the centers with his shooting percentages. He averages 20.8 field goals per game, which is 4.9 more than anyone else in the NBA. Out of centers in the NBA who shoot above 13 shots per game, Embiid is fourth in field goal percentage and second in the Eastern Conference.
Embiid gets to the free throw line the second most in the entire NBA, which is a big part of his scoring, and is third of all centers in free throw percentage. However, those numbers are a little skewed because the first and second place players only average five and 3.4 free throws per game.
And that’s just talking offense. Embiid is fifth in the NBA in blocks per game. He is an anchor for this team and protects the rim at an elite level.
Unfortunately, Kevin Durant is injured and will not be playing in the all-star game this year. But the good news is that Embiid has now been named an all-star starter to replace Durant. And still, he is still not getting the respect he deserves.
According to KIA’s MVP ladder, Embiid is the third best player and the third most likely player to win the MVP award. Even with that being said, he isn’t a top five player in the Eastern Conference. That is why I believe that Embiid got snubbed.
The “Beard” reincarnated
James Harden is the victim of an even bigger snub. Harden is far from his Houston Rocket, 40 points per game self, but he is exactly what the 76ers need to make a run in the playoffs: a leader and a playmaker.
Harden is the second best player on the 76ers this year. He has missed a few games because of injury, but still averages 21.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 10.8 assists per game.
Harden’s 10.8 APG is good enough to give him the highest average in the NBA. His 21.3 PPG puts him at ninth in the NBA and fifth in the Eastern Conference among shooting guards.
Harden leads all shooting guards with 24 double-doubles and is fifth in triple-doubles among the whole NBA.
I believe that there are a handful of NBA all-star reserves that Harden should’ve been selected over.
The Electees that are in over Harden
The two most notable players are Jrue Holiday and Tyrese Haliburten.
No knock on the two players, who are having solid years so far, but Harden’s stats put up next to them are silly.
Haliburton averages a double-double at the moment. But his team is currently eight games under. 500 and are in 12th place in the Eastern Conference.
Holiday is almost averaging a career high and plays for the second place Milwaukee Bucks. However, his stats aren’t as eye popping. Holiday is 48th in PPG, 77th in RPG, and 12th in APG. He’s a great player and was once a Sixer, but those stats should not get you into the All-Star Game.
All-Star weekend is quickly approaching and the Philadelphia 76ers are 38-19 and are in third place in the Eastern Conference. They didn’t make any major moves before the trade deadline so we will see how the year ends.
Meanwhile, Embiid and Harden are trying hard to bring the Larry O’brien Trophy back to Philly for the first time since 1983.
