Joel Embiid impressed DeMarcus Cousins during the Sacramento Kings’ 102-100 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.
So much so that Cousins believes Embiid will one day be the best center in the NBA—after Cousins leaves it, of course:
Cousins on Embiid – "he got a great chance to be the best big man in the league… after I retire."
— Notorious (@RG_Notorious) December 27, 2016
This is very dope, in its humor. It’s proof that there may be a friendship budding between two of the best towers in the game.
As, for the record, is this:
thinkpiece ideas
1. boogie is immature & incapable of being a leader
2. embiid so endearing he plays 4 love of the game only; future HOFer https://t.co/odqhuEv6hD
— Dan Favale (@danfavale) December 27, 2016
Cousins isn’t the best role model for a guy like Embiid and yada, yada, yada, but if the latter can even rival the former’s ceiling, the Sixers should eventually be in good shape.
And there’s no reason to think he won’t. Embiid does just about everything Cousins can already, and he does some of it better.
You can already argue that Embiid is the better rim protector. Cousins is more adept at defending in space, but Embiid is already okay and will only get better in time. The two are basically on even ground as floor-spacers and, well, as scorers, too.
That last part might be difficult to comprehend. Cousins’ scoring totals are far more gaudy, and he could most definitely have the edge. But Embiid’s per-36-minute splits are right in line with Cousins’ prorated scoring and effective field-goal percentage. That’s a very big deal for a rookie.
Cousins, for now, is clearly the better player—particularly when you look at playmaking and rebounding. But the gap between him and Embiid is relatively small; it’s not a chasm. And as Cousins alludes to with his joke, it may not exist for long.
