"He's the closest thing to Shaq" - NBA analyst denies top 30 spot for Joel Embiid lumping him in Patrick Ewing territory
Joel Embiid has continued to evolve as a player while posting increasingly ludicrous stat-lines. This season, prior to going down with a knee injury, Embiid became the first 7-footer to drop 70 points since David Robinson in 1994. Prior to that, he became the first player in NBA history with a 50-point, 10 rebound, five assist and five block game.
Despite that, questions have continued to linger regarding Joel Embiid's durability. Early on in his career, he was forced to miss significant time before ever suiting up. To date, he has never played a full season. Heading into this season, he averaged just 56.2 games a season since he made his debut.
Although he has battled numerous injuries, Joel Embiid continues to evolve his game. He has lead the league in scoring twice, along with earning MVP honors in 2023. Given that, longtime analyst Colin Cowherd believes he's the closest thing we've ever seen to Shaquille O'Neal.
That said, Cowherd isn't sold on Embiid being a top 30 player of all time. He spoke about this in a recent episode of "The Colin Cowherd" podcast.
"Who is Embiid if he never wins a title? Because all the bigs have dominated. I watched my first NBA game in 72 with Wilt, titles. Kareem, titles. Shaq, titles. Hakeem, titles. Duncan, big titles. And all of a sudden, you're like, okay, is he Ewing? ..."
"You have to look at Embiid and say, listen, injuries, weird teammates, but I can't make him a top 30 player ever. He statistically great. He's the closest thing to Shaq. But for bigs, like, I'm going to hold you kind of accountable for trophies. They've never been to the conference finals."
Joel Embiid's biggest goal continues to be winning a championship
Joel Embiid's career stands as a testament to his abilities. He pickied up basketball overseas in Africa much later than most NBA hopefuls. Despite this, he not only grew into his body but surpassed everyone's expectations as well.
With record-setting performances such as the previously mentioned 50/10/5/5 game, Embiid has offensive abilities that few can match. Injury concers aside, there's no denying his talent. Although he's now led the league in scoring for two straight years and won MVP, his goal remains on winning a title.
At the Uninterrupted Sports Film Fest back in July, fresh off of his MVP season, Embiid opened up on his desire to win a title. As he explained, whether he wins in Philadelphia, or somewhere else, he simply wants to win a championship.
"I just want to win a championship - whatever it takes. I don't know where that's going to be, whether it's in Philly or anywhere else. I just want to have a chance to accomplish that. I want to see what it feels like to win that first one and then think about that next one."
While it appears as though he will likely be sidelined for some time after his recent meniscus tear, there's optimism that Embiid will return in time for the postseason.