Jerryd Bayless has seen the NBA light that is Joel Embiid.
The Philadelphia 76ers guard compared his teammate to NBA great Shaquille O’Neal on Wednesday night, following the Sixers’ 120-115 loss to the Washington Wizards. Embiid scored 18 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, had three assists and blocked one shot in just 26 minutes. He also engaged with the many Sixers fans who invaded the Wizards’ Oracle Arena for the season opener, and his overall performance prompted this glowing review from Bayless.
No, I’ve never seen anything like that, I don’t think any of us have,” Bayless told Bleacher Report. “Not only is he special on the court, he’s a … I don’t even know what to call him, what the word is.
“I guess the best comparison I can think of is Shaq.”
O’Neal took the NBA by storm in 1992 as a rookie and soon developed into one of the most dominant forces in NBA history. Among the many nicknames he gave himself, “MDE (most dominant ever),” aptly describes the impact he had on the sport.
Embiid, 23, is in the early stage of his second NBA season. He has a long way to go toward matching O’Neal’s feats, but Bayless already has set the big target for which Embiid should aim.
Thumbnail photo via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images
