Sixers

Joel Embiid Named to NBA All-Defensive Second Team

By Russ Joy

Published: May 22nd, 2019 · 2:59 PM EDT

---

This isn’t a shock. For the second consecutive year, Joel Embiid is named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team:

Congrats to @JoelEmbiid on being named @NBA All-Defensive Second Team! #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/5RuwqGSbeM

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 22, 2019

It was expected that Embiid would make the second team after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert was named as one of the three finalists for Defensive Player of the Year along with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paul George. Embiid netted just four first team votes and led all players with 72 second team votes.

Here’s a full breakdown of the All-Defensive First and Second Teams, after the jump:

This graphic doesn’t reflect any other Sixers who earned All-Defensive Team votes, but check out these numbers:

NBA announces All-Defensive teams: pic.twitter.com/BzLEVy3fcy

— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) May 22, 2019

Ben Simmons picked up just two votes for the All-Defensive Second Team, while Jimmy Butler snagged two First Team votes and five Second Team votes. It’s a bit of a bummer for the latter – who was once described by a Philadelphia sports talk program director as a “role player” – since Robert Covington made the All-Defensive First Team a year ago.