Joel Embiid has established himself as arguably the best player in the league this season. Only Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo have come close to matching the level The Process is playing at and it’s no surprise that he is widely considered the frontrunner for the MVP award. One of the things that makes Joel good and is an intrinsic part of his personality is his seemingly endless belief in his abilities.
No one else would likely go as far as to say that if they played in a different era in the NBA, they would be considered the greatest player of all time. In conversation with Draymond Green on The Draymond Green Show, Embiid spoke about what it would be like if he was part of the league during the 1960s. He suggested that his skillset would mean he would be considered the greatest player ever today if he was allowed to operate in the 60s.
“Can you imagine the skill level that we have nowadays, or let’s say me doing that back in the freaking 60s? They would’ve probably put me in jail or I would’ve been the greatest player ever.”
Now obviously, players have gotten much more skilled in the modern NBA, and for a big man, Embiid is the complete package on both ends of the floor. However, the 60s was the era for big men and the likes of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain would have provided tough competition even with someone that has the quality of Embiid. After all, as this NBA trainer pointed out, being more skilled doesn’t mean being better.
Comparing across eras is always a difficult situation, the sheer amount of hypotheticals are hard to count in a way that an objective verdict can be given on a debate like this. Arguably, the more important takeaway from this particular Embiid quote is that it shows how high his confidence currently is. And Philly fans will be hoping that it finally translates into playoff success.
