How does Joel Embiid compare to the GOATs?
In comparing Embiid’s playmaking ability to Arvydas Sabonis, who is arguably the best passing center of all time, Embiid, at least through the 12 games he has played this year, has a higher assists per game average of 3.5 than Sabonis did in his best season when he averaged three per game.
The turnover averages of the two hold Sabonis in a higher esteem in terms of playmaking: the Lithuanian averaged just 1.8 turnovers per game for his career, whereas the Cameroonian averages 3.9 in his short career.
For his scoring, rebounding, and shot-blocking, Embiid has career averages of 21 points, 8.9 boards, and 2.3 blocks each night, and he put up those numbers with the first 31 games of his career under a minutes restriction. People usually compare Embiid to Hakeem Olajuwon, who averaged 22.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game over the course of his career: he averaged 36.4 minutes per game in the 18 seasons he played in the league.
Olajuwon is arguably the best center of all time, but for all intents and purposes, another comparison to a possible GOAT center is necessary for Embiid. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the top scorer in NBA history and won six MVP awards. He put up 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game in his 19 seasons in the league.
Embiid can certainly average the same stats that Abdul-Jabbar and Olajuwon did, but the main question is whether or not he can do it for the amount of time they did it for. If he can stay healthy and keep up this level of play for almost two decades, then Embiid could possibly become the best center of all time. That “if” is even larger than Embiid’s 7-foot-2 frame, but Sixers fans and NBA fans as a whole must hope the enigmatic, eccentric center can stay on the floor.