Philadelphia 76ers: Is Joel Embiid playing like an all-time great center?
Taking a closer look at whether it’s outlandish to say that Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid could ever be considered amongst the greatest centers of all time
Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid has been playing historically well in the playoffs this year. Through seven games in the playoffs, Embiid is averaging 23 points, 11 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game on 46 percent shooting from the field.
ESPN’s Mark Jackson, after watching Joel Embiid’s memorable performance in Game 3 against the Raptors, was emphatic about the big man and believes he could easily go down as one of the top centers of all time.
The big man’s performance, in which he put up a stat line of 33-10-5, left Mark Jackson surmising that Embiid is potentially among the greatest centers of all time.
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When watching Embiid play, it is hard not to agree with Jackson. And it is hard to not marvel at his combination of size, agility, and basketball IQ. Few players in NBA history, if any, have ever had this combination.
Jeff Van Gundy, who was sitting next to Mark Jackson, at the time had choice words after his comments:
"No, pump your breaks. Are you. No. No. We not going to do that to Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing. Pump your breaks…you just skipped steps right now."
However, compared to other big men in history, Joel Embiid excels in areas where they fall short. Embiid has the size and strength of a true big man and the skill of a small forward.
Embiid he is a much better defender and rim protector than say, Shaquille O’Neal or DeMarcus Cousins. He is also a better rebounder than Patrick Ewing or David Robinson ever was. And he is much more skilled offensively than the two aforementioned big men. However, both Ewing and Robinson were as good at defending the rim as Embiid.
Physically, the only elite centers stronger and bigger than Embiid were Wilt Chamberlain and Shaq. And Wilt never dominated offensively in the playoffs. But Embiid is substantially more skilled than the too giants.
Offensively, he is better than Robert Parish. And Bill Russell was not as offensively dominant.
However, Embiid has struggled with his health and has been on a minute restriction basically since he was drafted. When you take this into consideration, along with his age, statistically, Embiid is maybe the greatest 24-year-old center in NBA history.
Player | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | TRB | AST | BLK | PTS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar* | 237 | 8851 | .533 | .000 | .533 | .740 | 10.1 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 23.4 |
Joel Embiid | 15 | 465 | .444 | .288 | .485 | .780 | 13.9 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 25.6 |
Shaquille O’Neal* | 216 | 8098 | .563 | .563 | .504 | 11.1 | 2.6 | 2.0 | 23.3 | |
Hakeem Olajuwon* | 145 | 5749 | .528 | .222 | .530 | .719 | 10.2 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 23.5 |
David Robinson* | 123 | 4221 | .479 | .100 | .481 | .708 | 11.1 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 18.9 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Statistically, per 36 minutes of play in the playoffs, Joel Embiid outperforms Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaq in every counting category. While David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon average more blocks per game, both centers average less points, rebounds, and assists than Embiid.
Physically, Joel Embiid is bigger than Olajuwon. With Embiid, you see a more physically dominant and modern Hakeem Olajuwon.
In the last 10 playoffs, there have only been three games were a player had 30-plus points, 10-plus rebounds, and 5-plus blocks. Two of these games are claimed by Embiid.
Joel Embiid makes a significant impact on his teammates. In the 2017-18 season, the 76ers were 41-22 with Joel Embiid playing.
However, being the greatest center of all time creates more than just being a great player. It requires the player to also be larger than life.
Another unique facet about Embiid is his swag and persona. He has the swag and persona to be the best or most popular big man ever. This was something that Shaq and Dwight Howard had. They had box office and mass media appeal that Tim Duncan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and Hakeem just did not have when they played.
However, Howard never had the offensive skill and the championships to claim the title of the greatest big man ever
While Robinson, Ewing, and Hakeem were also considered to be all world talents, they were never considered to be the best player in the NBA during their. And they were definitely not the face of the NBA.
The only big man (power forward or center) that have ever been considered the best players in the NBA when they played are Tim Duncan, Shaq, Wilt, KAJ, Russell, and George Mikan. Duncan had the skill and resume to easily be the face of the NBA and maybe the greatest big men ever. However, Duncan never had the fan base and popularity to be considered the face of the NBA.
KAJ, while great, never had the fan appeal of a Dr. J or Magic Johnson. And he always had to share the spotlight with Magic.
Joel Embiid is the full package on and off the court. No 7-foot, 250 pound center has ever had his skill, speed, and agility. And no center, except Shaq, has ever be able to garner such fan appeal like Joel Embiid. Even Shaq had to share the spotlight with Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.
While Shaq was the best players on the Lakers when they were winning championships, he was not heads and shoulders above Kobe Bryant. And Wade was clearly the best player on the Miami Heat when they won a title. However, Joel Embiid is clearly the best player on his 76ers team.
All Embiid has to do is continue playing at an elite level and win championships. And he can easily be the fan and media favorite for the greatest center or big man ever.