Former Wizards Star Makes Bold Joel Embiid Claim

A former Washington Wizards star spoke out with a bold claim about 76ers star Joel Embiid.

May 2, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) in action against the New York Knicks during game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Former Washington Wizards star guard Gilbert Arenas has become one of the most entertaining talk show hosts that covers the NBA. He has made a very successful career for himself in the media industry.

Most recently, Arenas spoke out and offered a very bold take about Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid. He boldly stated that he believes Embiid is probably the best player in the NBA.

Arenas took it a step further and said that Embiid has actually dominated Nikola Jokic.

Take a look at the video of Arenas talking about Embiid for yourself:

Gilbert Arenas says Joel Embiid is probably the best player in the NBA, and the NBA’s 65-game rule has prevented his accolades from stacking up against Jokic’s

“Embiid has beat this man’s a$$”

(🎥 @GilsArenaShow )
pic.twitter.com/oGVBxxGhUC

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 9, 2024

Embiid is certainly one of the best players in the NBA. Very few would argue against that statement. However, Embiid has been unable to stay healthy.

He is coming off of a 2023-24 NBA season that saw him play in 39 games. In those appearances, he averaged 33.0 points per game to go along with 10.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.2 steals.

The former Wizards' star certainly has the resume to come out and make these kinds of statement. He was a dominant star during his NBA career as well.

Looking back at Arenas' career, he ended up playing in 11 NBA seasons with seven and a half of them coming with the Wizards. He ended up with career averages of 20.7 points, 5.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game.

Those numbers help lend credibility to Arenas' statements when he talks.

Many will disagree with his take about Embiid, especially the part where he claims that Embiid is better than Jokic. There are many who believe that Jokic is undoubtedly the best player in the NBA right now.

All of that being said, Embiid is a dominant force and if injuries hadn't played such a factor in his career he would definitely be in the discussion more. Hopefully, Embiid is about to embark on a season where he can stay healthy and put together a season that matches with what Arenas just said.

As for Washington, they are hoping to make a big jump. Arenas would likely love to be talking about a competitive Wizards team. In an ideal world, we'll see that happen this year.

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