Philadelphia 76ers star big man Joel Embiid is one of the bright stars in the league. He is currently leading the league in scoring at 29.8 points per game as a center and if he can keep this up, he would be the first big man to lead the league in scoring since the great Shaquille O’Neal.
Due to how great Embiid has been and how much of an all-time great O’Neal is, there have been debates about Embiid and Shaq in terms of who is better and what the Philadelphia star has to do to pass him. Obviously, Embiid has to win as O’Neal has four championships on his resume, but Embiid is as skilled as any big man.
ESPN’s Jay Williams believes that Shaq would have no shot at guarding Embiid:
I think Shaq would have fits trying to guard him. Shaq wouldn’t be able to guard him. I would put him on the perimeter all day long.
Williams’ co-hosts, Max Kellerman and Keyshawn Johnson, then brought up how fit O’Neal was with the Orlando Magic and how athletic he was in his younger age.
Williams said:
I hear what you’re saying. He was an athlete but still, I know scouting reports back when he was a young Shaq when they would just string him out on the perimeter because he still had a hard time guarding pick-and-rolls. Joel Embiid don’t guard pick-and-rolls either. I’m saying I would put Joel Embiid in that situation.
Embiid is great, there is no doubt about that, but O’Neal is on the top 75 list for a reason. It would be interesting to do something of a simulation of Embiid vs. a young Shaq 1-on-1 though. They are both such dominant big men.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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