I’ve never seen anything like Embiid, he has Shaq like force in the paint and the skill-set of a prime Kevin Garnett. He can pivot, pump fake at the 3 point line and maneuver his way to the rim for lay in or emphatic slam.
Sam Hinkie lost his job betting doing all he can to get Joel Embiid healthy and the Sixers will reap the rewards for their patience and years of mediocrity.
The Sixers also drafted Ben Simmons who is making a case for having the best rookie season of any NBA rookie all-time. He still needs to sharpen up his perimeter skills but his all-around game is second to none and might be the real next Magic Johnson who all-time great Lebron James is often compared to due to his quick bullet passes and excellent court vision. When you compare Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid and you watch them play you get the notion this will be the next dominant team lead by what should be two once in a generation superstars.
What impresses me about Joel Embiid is his aggressiveness on offense and wanting the moment a lot like Shaquille O’Neal did in his glory days with the Los Angeles Lakers when he 3 peated with a young Kobe Bryant on his way to 3 consecutive NBA Finals MVP’s. Joel Embiid is more mobile down in the paint,a way better free throw shooter,3 point shooter, and probably even a defender. You can’t hack Joel Embiid because he will make a living at the free throw line and easily score 30 points a night.
Can he win a title so early in his career like legends Magic Johnson and Larry Bird did? Probably, he has had such an impact on the Sixers since he plays both sides of the ball and has the ability to carry a team because of his play-making ability off the post, passing from the top of the key, making the extra-pass down low in the paint if he gets doubled, he is literally a combination of Shaq and Garnett due to his brute strength and massive body standing at 7’0 weighing at 250 pounds.
The way he plays with his back to the basket reminds me a lot of Kevin Garnett since Kevin Garnett was elite at scoring on post-up fade-aways, faking right and then going left scoring off jump-hooks,fade away jumpers, pump fakes in the post and bringing centers out to the perimeter. His 3 point shooting ability wrecks havoc for opposing teams with slow footed centers who struggle to come out and defend the perimeter or can’t keep up with his ability to create his own shot off the dribble. I am not saying Joel Embiid will end Lebron and Curry’s future collection of titles over the next 3-5 years but the NBA has never seen a player with Joel Embiid’s combination of skills, you combine that with Ben Simmons another physical specimen with Hall-of-Fame potential it’s hard to keep them out of the conversation for a title maybe even this season.
D-NBA 