Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid had arguably their best game together in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform against the Lakers back on Nov. 16. It has experts wondering if they can become two of the greatest ever.
Joel Embiid’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers made history. Ben Simmons had, by his standards, a pretty normal game, but normal games for Ben Simmons usually come close to triple-doubles and with a handful of highlight plays. The two dismantled the Lakers together in a 115-109 Philadelphia 76ers win, but the score does not indicate the quality of the teams’ performances.
During that Nov. 16 Lakers game, the two showed what can happen when they play well together, and the results came in the form of 46 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, and seven blocks for Embiid. Simmons had 18 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds, and five steals.
During the game, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweeted the following:
Joel Embiid has GOAT Center potential. Ben Simmons has GOAT Point Guard potential. It doesn't mean they'll get there, but they have a chance, which can't be said about many other players.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) November 16, 2017
The Process worked.
Kevin O’Connor has presented us with a hot take, to put it lightly. But it is not a bad take. Most day-one Process trusters have believed in Embiid and Simmons, but not as much as O’Connor seems to believe in them. The NBA has higher expectations for Embiid than it does for Simmons: Embiid has Olajuwon-like post moves with a feathery touch from deep. Simmons’ jump shot holds him back from greatness at the moment. Embiid, as he proved against the Lakers, can do it all.
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.
The Prince vs. Magic
After 18 career games, Ben Simmons’ first actual bad game came on Monday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. While defending one of the two best players of all time for a chunk of the game and coming back from a swollen left elbow, the rookie point guard dropped 10 points, eight boards, two assists, and three steals on 5-11 shooting in 35 minutes. Just about every other rookie this season would take pride in such a stat line, but for Simmons, he looked like a rookie for the first time this season.
More from Sixers News
- 3 Sixers players who could help Team USA Basketball
- 76ers 2k24 ratings: 3 most underrated players on Philadelphia roster
- 76ers head coach Nick Nurse bares lofty plans for Paul Reed this season
- Grade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock deal
- Breaking Down Bombshell Report on Sixers Star James Harden
Simmons, like Joel Embiid, mostly draws comparisons to a legend: Magic Johnson. The Aussie’s stats look nearly identical to Magic’s in his rookie year: Simmons averages 18.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 2.1 steals; Johnson averaged 18 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 2.4 steals.
Aside from the stats, people compare the two because of their styles of play: each is an athletic, oversized point guard who doesn’t shoot well. The main edge that Simmons has over Johnson is athleticism. The LSU product moves like a 6-foot point guard and jumps like LeBron James. Speaking of LeBron, Simmons’ physique is nearly identical to that of the King.
If Simmons develops a jump shot, he would jump way ahead of where he is now on the road to becoming one of the best point guards of all time, and maybe one of the best players of all time. For comparison, Johnson shot 30.3 percent from three-point range for his career, John Stockton shot 38.4 percent from deep, Jason Kidd shot 34.9 percent, and Gary Payton shot 31.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Ben Simmons does not need to turn into a supersized Steph Curry to become the best point guard of all time. He does need to develop a dependable jump shot, though. He and Joel Embiid both have their flaws, but they compare well to some of the best players of all time at their respective positions.
Time, health, and development will indicate whether or not they will hit their full potential, but from the glimpse Sixers fans have had of their potential, the journey to the top for the two will be fun.