Joel Embiid is currently having the best season of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers, which has caught the eye of Doc Rivers. Ahead of the Sixers' game against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, Rivers uttered that Embiid reminds him of Patrick Ewing.
Doc Rivers says Joel Embiid reminds him so much of Patrick Ewing who he played with in New York and then he coached him for 1 season with the Orlando Magic #Sixers
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) February 13, 2021
Before the Sixers tactician became a head coach in the NBA, he had a 13-year career as a player, nearly three seasons of which was spent with the New York Knicks. Therefore, Rivers got an opportunity to play with one of the best centers in NBA history in Ewing.
Besides having a chance to play with Ewing, Rivers also coached Ewing at the end of his career with the Orlando Magic. Provided that, Doc got a good glimpse of just how dominant a center Ewing was during his playing career.
When Doc Rivers accepted the job for the Sixers this past offseason, he knew he was getting a talented player in Joel Embiid. However, it's hard to believe he envisioned JoJo taking the leap he has to begin the 2020-21 campaign.
In his first 21 games of the season, Embiid has averaged a career-best of 29.4 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He's also converting a career-high 38.1 percent of his 3-point shots while attempting a career-low three 3-pointers per game.
With the Sixers holding the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, Embiid has solidified himself as a potential MVP candidate this season. Regardless of whether or not he wins the prestigious award, Embiid is drawing lofty comparisons from his head coach.
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