Stephen A. Smith Takes a Stand in Jokic-Embiid Debate

Getty Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets guards Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Over the last two seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers have followed a similar pattern. The team posts excellent regular season numbers, only to fall short when it matters most in the postseason.

But the pattern has extended to individual players as well, not just the team as a unit. For instance, Joel Embiid has put on incredible performances over the last two seasons. Yet in 2020 and 2021, the big man fell short of taking home MVP, finishing as runner-up behind Nikola Jokic for two straight seasons.

In fact, Jokic-Embiid MVP debating has become almost required every March. And it’s understandable why. Embiid and Jokic play the same positions, hail from foreign lands, and play for teams that each year vie for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

And while most basketball fans have taken their respective sides on the Embiid-Jokic debate, one went on the record to reiterate where he stands. Stephen A. Smith, the star of ESPN’s First Take, planted his flag firmly in. . . the middle.

“I gotta tell you,” Smith explained on an episode of I AM ATHLETE on September 5. “Even though everyone loves Jokic because his numbers are great and I have to give him consideration. From a talent perspective, if it’s numbers we going with Jokic. If it’s talent I’m going with Embiid.”

Even though the two players are often lumped together, they play wildly different games.

Embiid and Jokic Have Vastly Different Strengths

Any cursory look at Embiid and Jokic’s stat sheets proves that the two players earn their living doing very different things.

For starters, Embiid is probably the more likely to be considered a “traditional center.” He’s an elite rim-protector and paint defender who also requires spacing in the way many less-talented centers do.

But Embiid has also gone a long way towards rounding out his asset wheel. While The Ringer rated Embiid the third-best scoring “unicorn” back in 2019 (behind Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis), Embiid became the first center since Shaquille O’Neal in 1999 to win the scoring title.

Jokic, on the other hand, spaces the floor himself. Last season, he averaged 7.9 assists per game while still gobbling up 13.8 boards per game. It’s numbers like that which cause Stephen A. to go with Jokic on the stats. But it’s also Embiid natural skill and well-rounded repertoire that force him to go with the Cameroonian on talent alone.

McCoy: ‘Embiid Is the Man’

Joining Smith for the podcast episode were hosts Brandon Marshall and LeSean McCoy. McCoy, as most Philadelphia fans know, was a legendary running back for the Eagles during the 2010s. Marshall was no slouch either, suiting up as a wide receiver for 13 seasons.

And both had high praise for Embiid.

“I said two years ago he was the most dominant player in basketball,” Marshall said.

“Embiid is the man,” McCoy followed up. “Man, they playing with Embiid, man. He should’ve been named first-team, All-NBA.”

Unfortunately, neither McCoy nor Marshall has a vote for individual awards. But it’s clear both men are favorites of the oft-snubbed Embiid.