Joel Embiid a Defensive Player of the Year finalist
As Ben Simmons will be representing the Sixers come June 25 as a Rookie of the Year finalist, center Joel Embiid will be doing the same, except for Defensive Player of the Year, as the NBA announced on Wednesday night.
Embiid will be up for the award, along with New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert.
Embiid finished third in the NBA in rebounds per game, fifth in blocks per game and ninth in defensive real plus-minus. Embiid trailed Davis in both categories and trailed Gobert in blocks per game and defensive real plus-minus, which Gobert was the leader in.
We'll see what the NBA decides on for the award, but in all likelihood, the two best shots at winning it are probably Embiid and Gobert, with Gobert being the favorite.
Josh Liddick is a contributor to 97.3 ESPN and Sixers managing editor at SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshLiddickTalk.