Joel Embiid didn’t even start playing basketball until he was already a teenager, yet NBA scouts fell in love with him in no time. Fast forward to today, and he’s already one of the best players in Philadelphia 76ers’ history.
Embiid’s God-given talents are just remarkable. He’s savvy and understands the flow of the game, and how to make the most of his physical edge and skills to get an advantage over any defense.
That’s why NBA insider Bill Simmons went as far as to compare him with former legends of the game, stating that he’s already a better offensive player than the great Shaquille O’Neal ever was.
Bill Simmons Says Embiid Is A Better Offensive Player Than Shaquille O’Neal
“To me, Embiid has reached this point where his f***ing offensive toolbox that he has now, his face-up stuff, his ability to overpower people,” Simmons said on his podcast.“I was thinking about watching late 80s (Patrick) Ewing when he really had his knees. He was just this awesome, could face up, could hit long shots, could hit the little jump hook, and he had this whole package, it’s like, ‘Wow, Ewing, he’s really got it together.’ To me, Embiid is just offensively better than Ewing was, and Ewing was one of the 40 best players of all time.”
“I’m not ready to go there with Hakeem (Olajuwon), but I think he’s a better offensive player than David Robinson was. I think he had more stuff to his game than Shaq ever did. Shaq was a little more overpowering, but Embiid brings more to the table,” Simmons added.
He has a valid point in terms of Embiid being a better shooter, but Shaq was more physically dominant. Also, we already know that Simmons hates everything slightly related to the Lakers, so we have to take his words with a grain of salt.