76ers star Joel Embiid often draws a lot of comparisons. As one of the last remaining post players in basketball, he is like a modern-day relic of the NBA’s old-school big man.
And while Embiid has yet to see some of the playoff success as other great centers, it didn’t stop head coach Doc Rivers from showering him with praise.
During one conversation with reporters, Rivers compared Embiid to Kevin Garnett and Hakeem Olajuwon — two All-Time legends who dominated the game.
“We talk about different guys, bigs that I’ve coached and been around, I was with David Robinson as a player,” said Rivers. “Patrick Ewing as a player and I coached Kevin Garnett and I always say he’s a little bit Olajuwon and a little bit of Garnett. It’s a helluva combination if you can get it. The difference is Joel can go out to the 3-point line which sets him apart. He’s Joel Embiid. He’s not any of those guys. He’s his own guy.”
“He brings the ball up the floor,” Rivers finished. “He’s just a talented, listen I said it last year when I got here, I knew he was good, I didn’t know he had all of this. I really didn’t. He had a game against us, I wanna say it was here when I was in LA, he destroyed us. I didn’t know he could still do all of this. It’s amazing.”
There’s really nothing that Embiid can’t do. On offense, he can score in a multitude of ways, ranging from in the post to beyond the three-point line. He’s also a very capable ball-handler for his position.
Defensively is where Embiid really shines. His size and strength make him the perfect rim protector and he’s in the Defensive Player of the Year discussion almost every single season.
The big problem for Embiid is his durability. Since he was drafted, health has always been a big concern and he’s missed more games than he’s played at this point.
But if Embiid can get healthy, and get some support from his teammates, there’s no limit to what he can do. At the very least, it’ll surely be enough to make Hakeem Olajuwon proud.
