Getty Joel Embiid #21, Philadelphia 76ers
NBA Hall of Famer and Houston Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon spoke with Chris Ballard of Sports Illustrated to give his thoughts on some of the modern NBA stars, including Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid.
While Ballard mentioned that “Olajuwon likes him” and that he “has given (Embiid) advice,” he questions some of the methods that Embiid uses when he’s on the floor, particularly when it comes to trying to shoot from deep.
“He’s got all the moves, but leveraging the moves is different. Why would he be shooting threes?” Olajuwon asked Ballard. “He has the advantage every night, and if I have the advantage, I’m going to wear you out.”
“But threes? ‘That’s settling! When I’m tired, I settle. You don’t settle when you’re trying to win. You don’t start the game settling!”
Olajuwon came from a different era where players his size were typically not expected to shoot threes. Over the course of his 18-year career with the Rockets and Toronto Raptors, Olajuwon attempted 124 three-pointers in total, making only 25. By comparison, Embiid has shot 105 threes this season alone.
Olajuwon Praises Nikola Jokic
While Olajuwon criticized Embiid for “settling” when he shoots threes, Olajuwon had nothing but the utmost praise for Nikola Jokic.
According to Ballard, Olajuwon loves Jokic because “Jokić does it all, not with overwhelming athleticism and strength, like Giannis, but with craft and timing. With counters for his counters.” Olajuwon also praised Jokic for how well he can deceive his opponents, which plays into how effective he can be offensively.
“He’s playing the game, and you think he’s not serious, but he’s so effective,” Olajuwon told Ballard. “He doesn’t look strong, but I see he gets such deep post position. I think maybe it’s the mismatch, but then he does the same thing against bigger guys. His shot, his fakes, they are very difficult to time. You don’t know when he’s faking and when it’s real. He has tricks!”
Olajuwon also told Ballard that he “loves the Joker!” and that “he’s the one.”
Jokic and Embiid have been routinely named as the league’s two best centers over the past several years, with there being many debates regarding who is better between the two. Jokic has won the Most Valuable Player award for the last two years, but Embiid hasn’t been too far behind him, having finished second behind Jokic in MVP voting in 2021 and again in 2022.
Embiid’s Thoughts on Jokic Winning 2022 MVP
After it had been announced that Jokic had won MVP for the second consecutive year, Embiid gave his candid thoughts to reporters while congratulating Jokic.
“This is something that I knew weeks ago. Even probably two weeks before the season ended after those games, whether it was against Denver or Milwaukee. I just knew it wasn’t gonna happen. Obviously, congrats to Nikola. He deserved it. He had an amazing season,” Embiid said, per Ky Carlin of SixersWire.
Embiid also made it clear that the award could have gone to anyone last season.
“There’s no right or wrong (answer). There was a lot of candidates, it could’ve gone either way. Giannis (Antetokounmpo), Devin Booker being on the best team in the league by far. I guess every year, it’s all about whatever you guys (the media) decide. Whatever fits the narrative as far as who’s gonna win.”