Joel Embiid has wowed fans all over the world with his incredible 59-point outburst against the Utah Jazz in one of the greatest individual performances in modern history. Embiid supplemented his 59 points with 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 7 blocks, coming quite close to a ridiculous 60-point triple-double.
Joel would have actually had 60 points if he made one more of his 4 missed free throws, but he is already handily vanquishing a man many thought would have been the primary option for the 76ers ahead of Embiid. Ben Simmons.
Simmons has had a rough debut season for the Brooklyn Nets so far, being criticized by fans for having regressed into a worse player after his season-long absence. His low scoring has plummeted even further as he has scored just 47 points on the season through 9 played games. That is 12 points short of what Embiid scored against the Jazz, who entered the game 10-4.
Points:
59 — Joel Embiid tonight
47 — Ben Simmons this season pic.twitter.com/l7r3MbzjBs
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 14, 2022
Simmons has been rested for the Nets’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers, so he won’t get a chance to add to his total tonight. This is a pretty rough indictment of Simmons’s season so far. The defensive stalwart also has just 5 blocks on the season, 2 short of what Embiid got tonight against the Jazz.
A Tale Of Contrasting Careers
It is incredible to see how the tables have turned in the Joel Embiid/Ben Simmons dynamic over the last few seasons. After Ben’s sophomore year, people were wondering if the 76ers should build their future around Simmons and not Embiid due to his troubling injury issues.
Embiid’s dominance on the inside made his case stronger every year, but Simmons’ regressing and becoming more one-dimensional every season also catapulted Embiid further. The 76ers haven’t missed Simmons at all, not when he was sitting out and not after they traded him for James Harden.
Ben is still young, and this season is a long one. He is currently averaging 5.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists on a Nets team that’s struggling, so if he starts performing at the level we have seen before, the team might become a fearsome one in the East once again.
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