[Highlight] A younger Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum play 1 vs 1 during practice
Healthy Embiid was a marvel to watch when he played like that
Obligatory reminder that prime healthy Embiid could:
Drop 30 ppg a night on 65%+ TS, scoring at an elite clip from all 3 levels, and creating from the perimeter with the bag work/agility/midrange shot of a wing at 7’1” 280 lbs
Defend the paint/rim at an elite, all-defense level
And, use his mobility to switch out to and adequately defend the perimeter as well
Prime Embiid was one the most complete basketball players ever, and certainly one of the most dominant. I still stand behind saying that his peak (early ‘23-24 season) was the highest since Curry/Lebron, above all of the other 2020s guys. Such a magnificent yet painfully brief prime.
thank you, there was a 2-3 season span where everyone was underrating embiid because they weren’t watching him play and just looking at the stats, he was putting teams away by midway through the 3rd and sitting the 4th
people who say he didn’t deserve the MVP are clueless, the guy was clearly the most dominant player that year on both ends
he was so good to watch in his peak
Glad history is remembering him fondly. During his prime, everyone dismissed his play and only talked about the things they disliked about him.
everybody that said it was a pity mvp that jokic deserved clearly didn’t watch embiid play
This narrative only really took off once Jokic made it further in the playoffs that year
You know, the part of the season that’s different than what MVP is based on
which was the same narrative why people didn’t vote jokic another mvp
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BNJGNLHNRqA
for some reason the playoffs affected the mvp narratives
He was lights out his MVP year and owned the head to head matchup against Jokic. His Euro to seal the win was cathartic at the time for Sixers fans: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ckXvB_7-T_0
its so insane that he won mvp in 2023 and was genuinely like 25% better in 2024 before kuminga
I hate how much he did the rip-through, but ignore that and has such an aesthetically pleasing game and one of the smoothest mid-range jumpers I have ever seen. Considering how late he started playing, it is mind-boggling to see the amount of skill he had/has.
I don’t think history will remember him fondly. it’s a shame because injuries prevented him from making a run at the title.
I will defend his honor
Yo he still playing wtf
May he rest in peace
He’s with Wade Boggs now
lebron will resurrect him
is he dawg last 3 seasons he averaged 32 games played
Fully healthy Embiid was the closest thing we will ever see to Wilt.
What’s insane to me is that I feel like he was never even mentioned in any DPOY races during his peak. His defense was absolutely insane and it was hardly ever mentioned on a national level because he was so dominant on offense.
And all that in just 3 quarters
He was elite but his weaknesses did lead to under performance in the playoffs or tough games.
His passing was gotten better each season but that’s still the way to give him trouble.
His transition defense is abysmal. He hasn’t been a switch heavy guy in several years now, always plays a deep drop.
And all those weaknesses get magnified in the playoffs.
Outrageous skill level for his size, especially when you consider he picked up a basketball at 15.
He didn’t have the bag that he has now coming out of college. He got drafted for size and athleticism with more skill than your average center but it wasn’t his calling card. Now he can barely move and his skill is what’s keeping him good. His defense and movement at Kansas was unreal for a guy his size
He’s said on interviews that he watched so much film of Kobe with his trainers that they ran out of film and that he learned how to shoot by watching white guys on film.
In Embiid’s mind, Kobe > white dudes > black dudes.
Watching white guys on film made me actually lol
Young Embiid before he stopped giving quotes and stayed out of social media was something else.
What too many milkshakes does to a mf
Shirley Temple* Embiid was peak Embiid.
Mainly the recoveries from the lower leg injuries
He still plays like this
bro, he cannot move like that anymore
Nah I know lol you still see small bursts of it from time to time though.
I don’t really think he can defend the perimeter anymore like he used to
…or the rim
he can defend the rim teams just want to pull him out into space because he can’t move like he used to. teams still attack the rim less when he’s on the court, players shoot lower percentages at the rim when he’s contesting, and he’s good at not fouling
yeah embiid is a sound defensive center, he is considerably better on defense than most slow bigs, but he is still sadly a slow immobile big.
He literally doesn’t
Moving like that at 7’1 280 is wild. Professional athletes are really built different
99.9% of professional athletes couldn’t dream of having Joels size agility and hand coordination. He is the freak among freaks.
Agreed but let’s add more zeros lol. Like Shaq, Wilt, etc are the ones who are in the same league. Sad Embiid had so many injury issues.
His greatest strength was also his biggest weakness. Too big and agile for his joints unfortunately
And he was even more athletic in college, before the 2-year injuries.
I think this is closer to peak athleticism Embiid. 40 more lbs of muscle and still moving like that
Before the knees went he had ridiculous agility for his size. Even before the 2nd meniscus he could still hang with guards on the perimeter. That was a few years ago now though, he can’t really come out of the paint anymore defensively like he used to. Damn shame.
Yeah. Throw-in dunk off the missed free throw over i cant remember who was also still peak athletic Embiid. May have been older than he is in this video.
I think his total physical ability probably declined a bit far before that play, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t still capable of ridiculous plays like that
I’m in a 6’4” and under rec league. All the “bigs” are 6’-6’4” and are the definition of lumbering.
Crazy that they would all be undersized guards in the league having to chase around Maxey and Steph etc.
To be fair, nba players also spent their younger years conditioning their bodies for athletic play and more specifically for basketball to strengthen their bodies for the more demanding parts of the game. Regular people don’t and work out generally.
I’d say at 6’4 it is still very common for people to be very agile and fast if they stay in shape and have at least some innate athleticism. At 6’4 I have to essentially play as a guard or at most a small forward in leagues where there’s a lot of experienced players.
It’s sad to watch, knowing his body basically betrayed him.
Man, what happened to Mo Bamba?
Low motor
Low(er) BBIQ as well. He just couldn’t really read the game fast enough at the NBA level. All the physical skills, just didn’t have the mental stuff.
True
Less Bamba
No Bamba
Low Bamba
His hoes called
When they talk about guys who are in it for the money and fame and not really dedicated to the game he’s one of those guys. Like Bol Bol, they just don’t care to do the things to improve
Jazz just picked him up
Truly, a one of one. In the history of the NBA has there ever been anyone who had his size and physical presence and could also move like that?
What amazes me is that Imbiid with that skill is 1 of 1. Prior to him Hakeem had the same agility and skill blend. Now we have Wemby. The league is truly filled with amazing players.
Shaq?
Different kind of movement. Shaq was more impressiveness for the speed of his explosion on his drives. I give the higher nod to Embiid on this one. He had a lot more agility to get airborne where Shaq just had nasty pivots and rim game. I always ask myself “who would I trust more to suddenly put into track and field and would do alright across multiple events”
You didn’t watch much 90s Shaq then, he was ridiculously athletic for his size until he bulked up a couple years later.
People really need to check his magic years. He was lean and handling the ball real well.
Nephews really can’t fathom what prime shaq was like. He would have eaten prime Embiid alive.
shaq wouldnt be able to guard embiid or any skilled big like jokic or wemby on the outside. But of course they wouldnt be able to guard him in the paint either.
Kind of a mix of Haheem and Shaq I think. He has the size and power (almost) of Shaq, but plays a more finesse and traditional skilled style. Better 3 ball than both.
Had he been able to stay healthy, and not rely on the foul drawing / flopping as much, I think he’d be an alltime great.
his free throw rate is higher in the postseason than it is in the reg season lol. it is not the foul drawing. earlier in his career it was the decision making, later it was the health. he still played good enough in multiple playoff runs to go further than he did, but either untimely injuries or tobias harris/ben simmons being there ruined it. 2023 was the only true black eye IMO.
I’d say
Wilt Chamberlain
David Robinson
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Dwight Howard
Hakeem Olajuwon
Kevin Garnett
Young Shaquille O’Neal
Victor Wembanyama
Shawn Kemp
Anthony Davis
If anyone hasn’t seen it before. Watch the clip of David Robinson running coast-to-coast with the ball on a fastbreak.
22 seconds in
https://youtu.be/pvD3DlzusBI?is=cgqqKrQsDCrsC6G7
Dwight was quite a big shorter than Embiid and many of those other guys. He was closer to many PFs in terms of height than many of the guys you listed
I’d agree but I give him the nod for sheer body frame. Guy was more of a center than a PF imo even if he was a hybrid.
Oh yeah he was certainly a C. I’m just saying that because he’s shorter than many of those other guys, his movement ability is a bit less unreal/unbelievable than some of the others.
Young Shaq for sure
Giannis?
It’s crazy how skilled he is considering how relatively late he started focusing on basketball. The amount of raw talent he has is just unbelievable.
Keep in mind Embiid, at that time, had only been playing basketball for about 7~ or so years. Total.
So you say I can be as good as him in 7 years?
Yes
if you’re 7 foot, 250, and still in high school, for sure.
bro genuinely what are u supposed to do about the drives at 2:06 by embiid bro is an actual truck
Yeah I want to be in front of that about as much as I want to be in front of prime Mike Tyson
especially with all that sweat dripping from him. yeah. i woudl rather get dunked on that taste sweat balls sweat all day. im only 5’4
i remember watching this when it first popped up and was shocked how tall tatum is, dudes basically a 7 foot guard
And he’s only gotten bigger too. People in this thread are rightfully marveling at Embiid, but my main takeaway is just how huge Tatum actually is
He did a solid job at staying in front of Embiid while giving up what 40-50lbs with the exception of the one behind the back change of direction that no 7 foot 280lb person should be able to do.
No wonder my guys knees couldn’t handle the load.
I watch this whenever I get sad. Joel before injuries was just a different player. It was like if young magic Shaq, moved like a guard and shot like Larry bird. In my opinion truly a top 3 center of all time had he got to play a full career without injuries.
24 Embiid was having an all time season. 1.03 points per minute(Highest since wilt)
Was a lot better processing defenses , and Nick Nurse leaned into him as a hub more instead of Doc using him as a play finisher
Also just better on defense
he was incredible man
every video of him was when he was younger
i appreciate this dad energy
He used to be too
I wish it was unedited, they just show makes. Still fire though.
Drew Hanlen clients never miss after training with him, haven’t you heard?
If there was one player all time I’d have to pick for a 1 on 1, I’m taking prime Joel everytime. There is absolutely nothing physically a player could do to stop him on defense outside of maybe Shaq, and Shaq didn’t have nearly the shooting ability
Prime Joel Embiid was the real life version of a create-a-player with maxed out height and 99 at everything
Rematch for custody of JB
nba players are so fucking good it’s bonkers. and all while being the biggest, strongest, fastest people imaginable
I remember the next Celtics - Sixers after this off season, one possession Tatum scoring on Embiid, some teasing when going back on D, can’t find it anywhere. Fun times.
Going in to the 2014 college season Andrew Wiggins was seen as a generational prospect who was going to be the next big wing superstar in the nba.
Leaving that season, Embiid was so clearly head and shoulders the best player in that draft. Dude legitimately looked like the second coming of Hakeem Olajuwon. Injuries were the only concern. Unfortunately that’s kind of born out, but he’s still a rock solid first ballot hall of famer which speaks to how talented he is
It’s crazy how efficient these guys are. Scoring w 1-2 or no dribbles
Two future superstars going at each other before they became household names. Crazy to see the talent on display even back then.
They’re both younger in this video for the record
Correct, thats how time works.
Tatum is still 19
The day I became a Biid fan. You can’t stop me
I’m going to need medicine to step up so we can see peak athletes recover from injury. I need a timeline with healthy T-mac, Grant Hill, D rose, Kawhi, B Roy, twilight Kobe, and Embid
Damn those knees betrayed him!
if you could turn off injuries in settings, would you rather have prime victor or prime joel?
The Mo Bamba erasure by OP smh. I’d be so mad if I had to guard a mf as huge as Embiid and he’s got no shirt on. Hooping against sweaty shirtless mfs is the worst.
most skilled big man of all time
Does Hakeem not exist?
He does and was one of my favorite players growing up.
Peak for peak I’m still taking Embiid though.
Hakeems footwork might never be topped but I don’t think he was capable of doing what Embiid is above here.
Brother Embiid hasn’t ever done shit in the Playoffs how are you putting him over Hakeem
All time I would definitely put Hakeem above Embiid, no questions asked.
I’m just talking pure skill/athleticism.
Peak for peak Embiids only behind KAJ, Wilt, Russell, Dream, and Jokic
Uhm…. Shaq?
Damn forgot about him, yea throw him in there
Just Embiid was younger not Tatum.
Forgot all about mo bamba
Meyers Leonard lol. Thats funny
I had an irrational hatred of Tatum at this time because his sideburns didn’t connect with his beard and I thought he should’ve cut the sideburns off for that reason.
It’s actually incredible that he picked up basketball so late compared to many others and he managed to be this amazing at it.
What Embiid does at 1:26 left is beautiful shit
That court is a legend!! For anyone really hooping in LA getting in invite to a summer run at St. Bernard was like getting the golden ticket
Young Embiid looks like Mo Bamba… watch the video that is Mo Bamba, right? Embiid was the beast. And the Lakers should’ve taken note and drafted Tatum!
my goat
Isn’t every video a younger version of the people in the video?
Don’t leave out Orlando Magic 1st rd pick Mo Bamba
A healthy Embiid…that first move kinda sums it up. He simply falls too much.
How are you falling down in king of the court going 60%?
In a game Danny Green is there when he falls. In a game he hurts himself as well.
[deleted]
Imagine watching this and having that be your takeaway
After foot injuries sidelined his first two seasons he was taught to fall instead of awkwardly landing on his feet.
You realize he was taught to fall by his doctors to avoid injuries early in his career after his foot issues? Charles Barkley did the same thing, it’s fairly common in sports. Curry started falling on purpose while taking 3s after his ankle injury in 2012.
When is this dude gonna stop hitting the ground?
Embiid falling and rolling around in a 1v1. ROFL
Embiid was already foul baiting back then lmao