Los Angeles Lakers star Patrick Beverley has claimed that Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is the most dominant big man in the NBA since Shaquille O’Neal (Shaq)
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Joël Embiid has been having an incredible season for the Philadelphia 76ers. The big center who racked up the most points in the NBA regular season last season and became only the first center since Shaquille O’Neal to achieve the feat, and started this season from right where he left last season – in dominant form for the Sixers.
The 28-year-old Cameroonian-French center had an impressive season for the Sixers last time around, and he seems to have taken his form up by a notch this season. The peak of his season came when Embiid scored a career-best 59 points against the Utah Jazz on Sunday night, posting unprecedented figures of 59 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 blocks in a single game.
The dominance of Embiid’s performance was scary as he looked head and shoulders above every other player on the court, and is reminiscent of a certain Shaquille O’Neal whose incredible dominance over two decades set him as an example for any big man. Patrick Beverley confirmed the comparisons when he claimed Embiid is the most dominant big man since Shaq himself.
The Los Angeles Lakers star claimed that the Sixers center is the most dominant big man in the NBA since Shaquille O’Neal himself.
Recently speaking on the latest episode of his podcast, Beverley was discussing his guest and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy’s list of favourite players. When Portnoy ripped into Embiid for “talking a ton for never winning s**t”, Beverley came to Embiid’s defense as he described Embiid as “the most dominant big man to play the game since Shaquille O’Neal.”
Beverley has a point, as apart from the clear dominance in size and strength, Embiid is also a very accomplished scorer like Shaq. For instance, he led the league in scoring last season with 30.6 points per game, becoming the first center since O’Neal to win the league’s scoring title – Embiid is well on his way to outdoing himself with an average of 32.3 points per game this season.
More News:
• Joel Embiid creates history with his stat line after scoring most points in a game against Jazz
• James Harden has special praise for Joel Embiid after 59 points for 76ers star