PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid is unlike any player the NBA has ever seen. The Philadelphia 76ers big man has coordination and shooting touch that is usually only seen from the best guards and wings, making him every defense's nightmare. Not even Sixers head coach Doc Rivers has seen anything like him.

When asked after the Sixers' win over the Washington Wizards how many players of Embiid's size can shoot like he can, Rivers struggled to come up with many names. The Sixers coach has been around the NBA since the 1980s and yet, Embiid has skills that he has never seen from a center.

“I did play with Patrick Ewing, he wasn't bad,” Doc Rivers said, adding Kevin Garnett as another big guy who could shoot well. “But this guy — from the three, from the mid-range, to the post and really to taking people off the dribble with his size, I've never seen anything like that.”

Indeed, Embiid is a tremendous shooter in all aspects. Although he isn't a super elite marksman from deep, he can still reliably hit any shot the Sixers need him to. Over his last pair of games, Embiid has shot 12-16 on shots near the foul line. Many of those shots were ones he opened up with nifty footwork and handles that are rare for players of any size, let alone those who are over seven feet tall and one of the heaviest players in the league.

Not only is Joel Embiid a dominant scorer but he has shown to be a great enough defender to be a huge difference-maker even when he can't hit a shot. That aspect of his game, plus the ability to develop that takeover mentality by whatever means necessary, has greatly impressed Rivers over the course of the season. All of that makes him a spectacular MVP candidate and one of the best players in the league.