After Joel Embiid finished with 30 points and nine rebounds against the Detroit Pistons in their first matchup of the 2017-18 NBA season, he took a shot at Andre Drummond's defense, who finished with five fouls. As the two centers face off against each other on Dec. 2, Embiid took another shot prior to the game.

According to Rod Beard of The Detroit News, Embiid says Drummond cannot shoot after saying ‘no disrespect' first:

This is not the first and certainly not the last time Embiid will start rivalries with opposing centers. In addition to Drummond, the 23-year-old has also gone back and forth with Hassan Whiteside — even in the preseason.

In a time when teams are embracing small ball, centers like Embiid and Drummond are trying to bring the position back. While much of the attention has been on Embiid and rightfully so, Drummond has rebounded from a poor 2016-17 NBA season. Through 21 games, he is averaging 14.3 points and 15.2 rebounds while leading the Pistons to the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference (14-7).

As the two centers match up, it will be interesting to see if Embiid's latest comments will lead to any heated exchanges on the court between him and Drummond.