Last season was a career year for Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, as he averaged 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocked shots a game.
It was the second straight year he led the NBA in scoring, and his production earned him his first regular season MVP award.
After nine seasons in the league, it looked like Embiid had finally achieved his true potential, and former NBA star Carmelo Anthony, per Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, had some massive praise for him.
Carmelo Anthony on Joel Embiid: “His post game is special. He’s 7’2”, he’s big… he’s just hard to guard. I’ll just keep it 100 with you, he’s a tough guy to check out there on the court. I love the fact that he’s playing at his own pace and right now he’s found his pace of play… pic.twitter.com/ZAtWMqpbxr
— ? Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) September 29, 2023
Embiid is an immovable object in the low post thanks to his seven-foot, 280-pound frame, and he used his physicality to his advantage last season by shooting a career-high 54.8 percent from the field.
In the past, he had been criticized for not always using his size to his advantage and settling for perimeter jumpers too often, and some also got on him for supposedly not taking care of his body well enough.
But Embiid is now at the height of his powers, and at age 29, he should have several more great seasons in him if he stays healthy.
Health has indeed been a concern for him over the years due to a number of knee injuries he has suffered, but he managed to appear in a solid 66 games last season and 68 games the year before that.
The Cameroon native still has some room for improvement, however — in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals versus the Boston Celtics, he shot just 5-of-18 and scored only 15 points as Philly lost by 24 points and blew a 3-2 series lead.
Still, he has come a long way in just the last few years.
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