King of the East

This upcoming season in the Eastern Conference is going to be a brawl. Many experts are projecting the Raptors, Sixers and Celtics to fight tooth and nail for the number one spot in the conference come playoff time. However, while these 3 teams are the clear juggernauts, the debate of not just the best team but also the best player in the Eastern Conference runs rampant. One could argue Kyrie Irving to be the best player in the East because of his untamable scoring ability and overall killer instinct. Others could make the case for Giannis Antetokounmpo being the best in the East because of his nightly display of on court dominance and his insane versatility. You could even argue for new-to-the-East Kawhi Leonard due to his ability to take over on both ends of the floor on a nightly basis. However, as skillful and talented as these players are, I think there is one man that can and will tower over the Eastern Conference. That man is Joel Embiid. Last season, Embiid put up historic numbers despite his limited amount of playing time during major parts of the season due to recovery from injuries and “load management.” With a full offseason of work and grit and grind and shaping his game, Joel is ready and in my opinion, we haven’t yet seen the true Joel Embiid and thats why, with more minutes and more touches, I believe Joel will ascend to become not only the best center in the league but also the best player and the king of the Eastern Conference.