During the Philadelphia 76ers' rebuilding process, they drafted the best players available instead of best fit. As a result, it led to a logjam at the center position with Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid, and Jahlil Okafor.

Despite only appearing in 31 games during the 2016-17 NBA season, the Sixers ultimately decided to build around Embiid. As a result, Noel was traded to the Dallas Mavericks and Okafor is currently being shopped.

With the 76ers facing the Mavericks, Embiid has a message for his former teammate according to Molly Sullivan of NBC Sports Philly:

While it is a friendly competition between two former teammates, this is Embiid's general approach with opposing centers. With the new season just underway, he has already made headlines for his comments towards Hassan Whiteside and Andre Drummond following their matchups.

As Embiid has established himself as one of the league's rising stars, the next step will be remaining relatively healthy. While Philadelphia signed him to a five-year, $146.5 million contract extension before the season, there are specific circumstances where they can release him.

Although the 76ers have started the season with a 1-4 record, they have an extremely bright future in Philadelphia. As the young core of Embiid, Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, and Dario Saric learn how to play with each other, they have a legitimate chance of making the playoffs in the weakened Eastern Conference.