Last night in Portland, we saw two of the more physical centers battle it out in a closely contested matchup between the Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers. Though Joel Embiid may be the more exciting talent, Blazers big man Jusuf Nurkic got the better of him as his team squeaked out a 114-110 victory.
Throughout the game, it appeared that Nurkic got the best of Embiid physically as the second-year man shot only 3/9 from inside the three-point arc. Though Embiid canned a career-high 6 triples in the loss, his fatigue as the game wore on was apparent.
Following the contest, Nurkic took the opportunity to discuss what he thought of Embiid, claiming he’s more focused on being famous than being a player. Following from NBC Sports Northwest:
"He tries to be more famous than a player… He’s a skill player who is getting tired, it looks like…" @bosnianbeast27 on @JoelEmbiid #ripcity pic.twitter.com/65BHN7jFbg
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) December 29, 2017
Though Joel Embiid is one of the more active players on social media, as has been well-documented, there’s no denying the impact he has on the court as well. While Nurkic and the Blazers may be better suited as a playoff team this year, the future in Philly is as bright as ever with Embiid and exciting rookie prototype Ben Simmons.
We’ve already seen a substantial leap from the Sixers this year, as they’ve established themselves as fringe playoff contenders as opposed to the bottomfeeders they’ve been these past few years.
A lot has been made of Embiid’s health and conditioning, and rightfully so. Though there’s no doubt he can produce with the best of them, his availability will continue to be in question until he is no longer hampered by his recent back issues. On the season, Embiid is posting per-game averages of 24 points and 11 rebounds, placing him squarely in the All-Star conversation.
