What makes Joel Embiid the Sixers Superman | Sports Daily

If the greatest are forged through adversity, like diamonds are formed by pressure and heat, then perhaps it’s no wonder Joel Embiid is having a tremendous season despite suffering through a bout of COVID-19, not to mention the season-long absence of Ben Simmons.

In truth, greatness has not merely been thrust upon Embiid, even as he has often been forced to play the parts, at various times, of point guards and forwards the Sixers simply don’t have. He has pushed himself to achieve the key aspects of playmaking that the best centers develop. Then he’s pushed himself step further, studying the facets of his game that needed improvement and putting it on himself to be able to execute whatever is needed to make the winning difference in close games.

If anyone is skeptical about how effectively and efficiently Embiid has honed his game of late, a close viewing of him in action during games should be evidence enough. But to see the case laid out in incontrovertible statistics, check out the latest Sixers articles.

— Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport

Tell us if you believe Embiid is MVP-worthy and why: sports.daily@inquirer.com

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Cut Brandon Brooks open, and he just might bleed Philadelphia Eagles green. That’s his own assertion, and he definitely gave enough heart and effort every time he pulled on the uniform to prove it. Now, however, his body and the injuries he’s suffered over the years have betrayed his still-willing spirit. Brooks has come to terms with it and perhaps, even though it’s some years in the past, the Eagles’ Super Bowl win helps to console him as he steps away from the game.

Accolades such as multiple Pro Bowls aside, what Jeff McLane considers as Brooks’ greatest legacy is how he elevated the awareness of mental health issues for athletes.

Logan O’Hoppe had always been a catcher even before he met Buster Posey when he was 12. But that chance encounter with the Giants catcher locked him in on the position. Now, almost 10 years later, he’s one of the Phillies’ top prospects — maybe even the best, according to one National League scout — but his path to the major leagues is blocked for now by three-time All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto, who is under contract through 2025. But that’s not deterring O’Hoppe — or the Phillies — from keeping him at catcher.

“Any time that we could steal aspects of [Kobe Bryant’s] game, we did,” said Joel Embiid’s personal trainer, Drew Hanlen, whose videographer, Sam Limon, put together a video highlighting the Sixers star’s ability to complete moves that mirror the efforts of Bryant and Michael Jordan. It should come as no surprise from Embiid, who has been open and honest about idolizing Bryant, who he said was the player who made him “fall in love with basketball.”

The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell spoke with Embiid and Hanlen about being “film geeks” who spend hours studying Bryant to pull out “micro-skills” and “nuances” that can be used to improve Embiid’s game. As Mizell notes, their effort has worked wonders for Embiid, who has become one of the league’s more versatile big man.

Next: The Sixers play Bryant’s Lakers at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center (TNT).

With the Flyers in the midst of a franchise-record 13-game losing streak, Comcast Spectacor CEO Dave Scott and Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher spoke to the media Wednesday in their annual midseason address. As you can imagine, the media had a lot of questions ...

The biggest takeaways from the news conference were that Fletcher and Scott do not envision the Flyers’ bottoming out and undergoing a lengthy rebuild, a la the Sam Hinkie 76ers. Instead, Fletcher used the phrase “aggressively retool.”

Scott echoed this sentiment, saying he doesn’t think it will be a “three-[to-]five-year rebuild.” And in what drew skeptical facial expressions from many in attendance, he claimed that the Flyers are “two or three” players away from complementing the strong core that is already in place.

The status of captain Claude Giroux, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, also was a topic of discussion.

Next: The Flyers are back on home ice Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings (1 p.m., NBCSP). Having lost 13 straight, they will be looking to get back in the win column and avoid inching closer to some unwanted history. The NHL’s longest losing streak is 18 games, shared by the 2021 Buffalo Sabres and 2004 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Life at the club level is problematic when someone feels that international competition, especially at the frigid levels the U.S. players are expected to face in games against El Salvador, Canada, and Honduras, is preferable. Hershey’s Christian Pulisic, however, has been an intermittent or nonexistent presence in Chelsea’s starting lineup, which is a far cry from how integral he is to the U.S. team still fighting to secure World Cup qualification. Jonathan Tannenwald has the latest as the Americans get set for the three games.

We asked who the best men’s or women’s high school basketball player you ever saw play was and put together a list of the answers we were sent. See which names you recognize and what memories are provoked.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Gina Mizell, Jonathan Tannenwald, Jeff McLane, EJ Smith, Ashley Greenblatt, Rich Flanagan, Manning Snyder, and Giana Han.