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MotorWorld Toyota supports The St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen

<p>Bryan Colangelo doesn&#8217;t use the term &#8220;foundational piece&#8221; lightly when talking about players. However, the 76ers&#8217; president of basketball operations will tell you Joel Embiid has clearly demonstrated that he deserves to be called one.</p><p>&#8220;We couldn&#8217;t be happier with where we find him,&#8221; Colangelo said.</p><p>The Sixers look at Embiid as the complete on-and-off-the-court package. The 7-foot-2, 275-pounder is the runaway leading candidate for rookie of the year.</p><p>With his restricted time on the court up to 28 minutes, Embiid is no longer looking to score just about every time he touches the ball.</p><p>&#8220;You see him even as a much more thorough, complete basketball player,&#8221; Colangelo said.</p><p>He has been getting others involved by passing out of certain situations. The 22-year-old is learning all of the nuances of things he can get away with in an NBA game.</p><p>Embiid has also made a major impact on the defensive end.</p><p>&#8220;I think he&#8217;s showing that not only does he have all this on court, he&#8217;s got the off-court-element as well, which is the persona, that fun that comes with having success,&#8221; Colangelo said. &#8220;He is a complete package as it relates to all of that.&#8221;</p><p>Embiid was averaging 18.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game heading into Tuesday&#8217;s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Wells Fargo Center. He is the first player since Shaquille O&#8217;Neal (1992-93) to put up those types of numbers through the first 18 games of his career.</p><p>The Sixers selected Embiid with the third overall pick of the 2014 draft. He missed the last two seasons after two surgeries on his right foot.</p><p>&#8220;He was well worth the wait,&#8221; Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. &#8220;He&#8217;s as skilled a big man as there is in the league. I don&#8217;t know if there&#8217;s any better.</p><p>&#8220;When you put the whole package together as far as shooting the three-point shot, footwork, he reminds me a little of Tim Duncan, but really the shooting range is better.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid in action during an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_Embiid-Process.jpg</photo0><caption0>Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid in action during an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Keith Pompey</p><p>The Philadelphia Inquirer</p></bylineMeta></div>

Bryan Colangelo says Joel Embiid is the total package