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Joel Embiid and DeMar DeRozan went toe-to-toe in a battle between two Eastern Conference heavyweights. The Philadelphia 76ers took down the Chicago Bulls 119-108. Embiid led the Sixers with 40 points and 10 rebounds while DeRozan tallied 45 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Embiid praised DeRozan, his fellow All-Star starter, following the game. He compared his footwork skills to Kobe Bryant and said that he is an underrated star.
Joel Embiid on DeMar DeRozan: "I always thought he was underrated… Footwork kind of reminds me of Kobe."
And then I asked him about a nerdy topic, when he decides to pop vs. roll on pick-and-rolls. Thought he gave a pretty good answer. pic.twitter.com/tR6YTqhRBg
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) February 7, 2022
Comparisons to Bryant are very lofty but DeRozan's skill and composure in the mid-range do indeed mimic the Black Mamba's abilities to a degree. DeRozan is putting his skill to good use, as he is enjoying one of the very best seasons of his career, leading the Bulls to one of the conference's best records.
Embiid, who is also a steller post scorer, shares some of the dexterity and coordination that Bryant and DeRozan do. His stretch of dominance is reaching historic levels, especially among players of his enormous size. Although the Sixers aren't among the most dominant teams this season, their big man has been nothing short of unstoppable. He is currently leading the league in points per game at 29.0 while also recording 10.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
Philadelphia's never-ending trade drama around Ben Simmons holds the Sixers back. They need a better second option than Tobias Harris in order to make a deep playoff run. DeRozan may have lost to Embiid today but he might prove to be victorious in a playoff series if Zach LaVine is healthy. Embiid needs a co-star badly in order to get the Sixers deep into the postseason.
