Philadelphia 76ers star big man Joel Embiid is in the midst of another impressive season. The big fella is averaging 33.3 points, which leads the league, and he’s averaging 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He has thrown the Sixers on his back constantly and he is in the running for MVP once again.
The Sixers are in a position to win a title thanks to his elite play. No one in the league has figured out how to stop him. He is unstoppable in the post. He draws a ton of fouls. He makes free throws, and he is a three-level scorer. He is one of the best players in the league regardless of position.
However, there is another generational big man in Denver who plays the same position, Nikola Jokic. The Joker is just a step above Embiid at this point and that’s why Bleacher Report has predicted that Jokic will earn All-NBA first team with Embiid being on the second team:
If Joel Embiid had entered the NBA five years earlier or later, he’d probably already have an MVP or two and a handful of All-NBA first-team nods. Thanks to the unfortunate timing of his prime overlapping with that of Nikola Jokić, the Philadelphia 76ers’ superstar big man is still without an MVP award and has to settle for his fifth second-team honor here.
If his numbers hold, he’ll wind up with two straight seasons averaging at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and four assists with a true shooting percentage north of 60. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the only other player with a year like that in NBA history, although Giannis Antetokounmpo is likewise threatening to join that club.
Embiid is legitimately great. It just so happens that he shares a position with someone slightly greater. Those are the breaks.
Unfortunately, those are the breaks. Embiid will eventually have his moment, but at this point, this is the way things are. If the big fella can deliver a deep run in the playoffs, then maybe the narrative around him will change, but at the moment, this is the way he is viewed.
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