"I just feel like is unstoppable," teammate Will Barton said, per NBA.com's Alex Labidou. Jokic has the edge in two-point percentage, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage as well. Jokic's effective field-goal percentage is 56.5. Since 2016-17, Jokic's true shooting percentage is 60.8. Shooting percentages tell a similar story. That may not seem like a big gap, but it could tip the scales in any number of close games over the course of an entire season. And with each of those play types combined, Jokic is at 1.08 points per possession, while Embiid is at 1.02. The most common play types for both are roll man, post up, spot up, cut and putback. Michael Jordan is the only player in NBA history with at least as many minutes and a higher average for points per 75 possessions. To drive the point home even harder, Embiid's 28.3 is fifth in the NBA over that time frame, regardless of height. Only James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Curry and Isaiah Thomas (yes, that Isaiah Thomas) are ahead of him.Īnd, since Embiid has only played three seasons, that's also his career average. Over the last three seasons, his 28.3 points per 75 possessions leads all 7-footers. To do that (or, at least, to try to), we'll need to dive a little bit deeper into each of the following categories: scoring, playmaking, defense, durability and accolades.Įmbiid does more scoring than Jokic. Embiid's was 13.8.īut a couple of blind polls and three measly head-to-head contests is hardly enough to come close to a definitive answer on this question. Jokic's average game score head-to-head with Embiid was 18.2. In those three games, Jokic averaged 22.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks and 2.7 turnovers while shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three.Įmbiid went for 19.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals, 3.0 blocks and 4.3 turnovers while shooting 35.7 percent from the field and 9.1 percent from three. In head-to-head battles, Embiid is 3-0, though Jokic has been better individually. Player B is the last three seasons of Joel Embiid. Jokic may be a glimpse into that future, but is he the league's best center in the present? Despite landing All-NBA first team honors this season, a blind poll of his 2018-19 next to Embiid's went overwhelmingly in the Philadelphia 76ers center's direction:Īndy Bailey A is the last three seasons of Nikola Jokic. Is this the future of centers? Seven-footers who do everything a point guard does? He takes the rebound, he brings the ball up and initiates the offense." "A lot of people ask me how he compares to guys like Sabonis, you know what a passer he was, and I think Joker took it to the next level because he also brings the ball up. "Now we say he's our point guard and he initiates most of our offenses," Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
But a variety of skills is necessary for most bigs to dominate.Īnd Jokic is pushing the envelope further than most. Sure, ultra-impactful defenders like Gobert can get away with being mostly roll guys and rim protectors. Gone are the days when centers were just lumbering post scorers you entered the ball to before watching them soak up the shot clock and try to score off the block.
Sort the same group by three-point attempt rate (percentage of a player's attempts that are threes), and Jokic is 10th. Perhaps the voters will feel the same way when the regular season comes to a close.Take Jokic and Embiid-the top two centers in the game, according to All-NBA voting-for example.Īmong 7-footers with at least as many career minutes as Embiid (4,852), Jokic is first (by a wide margin) in assist percentage. And after reading it, we have a hard time arguing against Nikola Jokic winning his second consecutive MVP. And ladies and gentlemen, upon our inspection, everything checked out. The user had also uploaded links to basketball reference page, guiding any onlooker to the proof that justifies their statement. He also has one fewer double-double than Embiid has games played.” “(Nikola) Jokic has as many double-doubles as Giannis has games played … Just a fun note I realized, Jokic is a walking double-double. And well, here is what they had to say on the matter. Recently, Redditor u/cycguy2 apparently just happened to be exploring some pages of basketball reference. NBA Reddit uncovers that Nikola Jokic has recorded the same number of double-doubles, as Giannis Antetokounmpo has played games this seasonĪnd yes, we mean double-doubles in a single season.