Patrick Beverley of the Philadelphia 76ers believes Joel Embiid is on track to have the ‘greatest season’ in NBA history.
On his podcast, Beverley stated that Embiid’s season “would be the greatest season of a single player that’s ever played basketball” (warning: video contains profanity). He went on to say that the 7’0″ center “is the most dominant player in basketball right now, by far.”
Beverley is certainly prejudiced because he shares a locker room with Embiid, and it’s difficult to compare individual seasons across eras in general. However, the Sixers star is on track to produce a season that will be remembered in the annals of time.
Embiid is averaging a league-high 34.8 points per game, 11.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 2.0 blocks through 26 games. He is also 35.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia is third in the Eastern Conference (23-10) and has the greatest net rating (10.4) in the league, according to NBA.com. Many people were concerned that the drama surrounding James Harden and his eventual trade would drive the franchise into a tailspin. The 76ers, on the other hand, are thriving.
And Embiid is right in the middle of it all. According to Basketball Reference, his 38.1 percent usage rate is both a career best and the most in the NBA.
Others, most notably Tyrese Maxey, should be credited with Philadelphia’s success. Many people were interested in seeing how Embiid will react following another dismal playoff loss and the Harden deal. He appears to be a man on a mission right now.