Last season’s reigning NBA MVP, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has made a statement in his first six games this year that he is still the most valuable player in the league. Embiid has been dominant on both sides of the floor, but he is currently tied with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell in points per game (32.5).
NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dan Roche went as far as labeling Embiid as the best scorer of all time. While Embiid has certainly proven himself as an elite scorer, claiming he is the best scorer of all time may be far-fetched.
Embiid has won the scoring title and averaged at least 30 points per game in each of his past two seasons and is pacing to make it a third consecutive campaign in 2023-24. Despite this, he barely even cracks the top 50 of active points leaders in the NBA (10,913). Embiid is nearly 30,000 points behind the active and all-time leader in points, LeBron James (38,829).
With that in mind, there is a case to be made that Embiid isn’t even the greatest scorer of his generation. However, that doesn’t mean we need to diminish what he has done and his capabilities as a scorer in the NBA. His ability to handle the ball, make jump shots, and score out of the post as a seven-foot center has turned him into one of the most polished scorers in the league.
It is important to note that Roche is a Philadelphia sports media personality and made this claim regarding Embiid, the face of the 76ers franchise in Philadelphia. We must take the comments with a grain of salt.
