Wiggins versus Embiid
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Twenty years from now. When we look back on the careers of Wiggins and Embiid. Who has the better career? Do either one become a Hall of Famer?
When Wiggins came to KU he was considered as the Next Lebron James. As unfair as it is to saddle a young kid with such expectations. It did happen, and does that effect how we look at and rate Wiggins. Can he shed that tag of being the next great one?
Embiid was supposed to be a project player. He had potential but was more looked as a project player. His explosion in his first year landed him in the top of the NBA draft. I believe only Pitino came on public record saying that Embiid would be a stud before he even put on a Jayhawk jersey.
I’m not an NBA guy so take my diatribe with a grain a salt. I believe Embiid will be remembered the most, Yet feel Wiggins will have the better stats and career. I really think Embiid playing for the 76ers will hurt his over all career, and how it’s viewed. Also as much as we KU fans don’t like it, but teams and players are viewed by how many championships have you won. That is why I give Wiggins the edge. I could be wrong but feel he has a better chance of getting his hands on a couple trophies.
Yet at the end of the day I’m not a NBA fan, so what do I really know.
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Every good player that comes along is labeled the next Jordan or the next Magic or the next Bird…and none have gotten there yet. Both Wiggins and Embiid are very young and they have the bulk of their careers ahead, so their greatness is yet to be defined. They both have the potential to be super stars but Embiid has yet to show that the injuries that kept him off the game for 2 full season will not come back. Way too earl;y to have this talk.
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@DoubleDD I love them both! If Embiid wouldn’t have been hurt he might have gone first, depending on the need. 2 great reps, 2 complete different personalities. 2 great Jayhawks!
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Yea there is still a lot of basketball to be played by both of these KU kids. Yet why wait tell their careers are over or cemented to have this conversation? I mean if we have that conversation then it’s kind of pointless. As we would already know. No this is the prefect time to have this conversation.
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Someone from ESPN said today Embiid was HOF material
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I think there is a good chance this comparison gets impacted by injuries… er… more injuries.
Imagine how different the world (outside of Lawrence) would view Danny Manning had he stayed healthy during his playing days?
I hope both of these guys (and all players) stay healthy. But it has to be mentioned as a real possibility.
Often the injuries are not severe enough to end a player’s career, just hobble it and prevent him from reaching a higher level.
Sorry to be a downer…
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Embiid hands down!
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Wiggins will be a perennial All-Star; Embiid will be considered one of the greats.
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I would say Embiid just from what I’ve seen already. At his size he’s just an unbelievable athlete. His shooting ability from anywhere on the floor is something we never really saw at KU. He’s got touch like an All-Star guard. Imagine him on a good team, its crazy to think about actually.
Wiggins is still really young (21) and boy can he score the basketball. If 2 things happen Wiggins has the chance to become one of the best 20 players in the league.
1st he has to continue to become a better 3 point shooter. He’s made strides this year but a lot of his attempts are wide open because teams don’t respect his shot. Still 35% is respectable and a step in the right direction.
2nd he has to become a more rounded player- rebounding and assists numbers are below average for the type of player he is. NBA scouts were worried that he’d have trouble scoring and that he’d be an elite level defender. Well he’s scoring plenty 23rd in the league per game but his defense hasn’t been as good as he showed at KU. Sometimes his stat lines in games look like he only came to play offense. For his size and athletic ability he should be a better rebounder.
Whatever the case KU has 2 really good NBA players for future kids to look up to. At some point KU will benefit down the road in recruiting from it.
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@BeddieKU23 said:
Whatever the case KU has 2 really good NBA players for future kids to look up to. At some point KU will benefit down the road in recruiting from it.
Thanks for setting the tone and the perception of this topic.
We should not bash either of these kids but relish in the fact as KU fans we can discuss who will be better.
Nice job.
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@DoubleDD if you are a true KU fan why would you bash a Jayhawk?
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@wissox
sure, but he’s right. Embiid hands down!
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Embiid. Impacts the game in many categories.
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A great owner, GM, and coach are necessary for a great player to win a few or a bunch of NBA rings.
THERE ARE VERY FEW TIMES WHEN THE PLANETS, MOONS, AND MONOLITH ALIGN AS AT THE END OF 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.
Thus, the odds of both getting the brass ring are slim.
But if injuries stayed away, both could become all stars for many years and surely one would get lucky and go on a roll.
Embiid has the edge because he can already do all the things centers have to do to be dominant and win rings.
I haven’t tracked Wigs, but great as he is, its tough to lead teams to rings from the wing without a great outside gun. Even MJ had to get nearly 40% to dominate. The 36-38% years he had to have great seasons from Pippen. Can Wigs? To be determined.
Wigs is so good already that he has to hold the edge in probability of making it to the BHOF.
But JOEL can carry a team and the other roles are easier to fill with him. He has a sliver of an edge in getting a run of rings.
But this is like choosing between two Rolls Royces.
They are both great rides.
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I love them both, to even have this conversation is great for Jayhawk fans and even better for my autographed team ball with both of them on it!
I am not an NBA guy, haven’t been since the Jordan days and a few years after. I however watch a lot of NBA and the playoffs every year. For the last couple years I have watched Id say around 50 games of Wiggins, this year I actually purchased the NBA ticket where you can follow one team at a cheaper rate than buying it for all teams, I picked the 76ers.
Wiggins is a great player and a great scorer, we have seen Wiggins before, we have truly never seen someone like Embiid. I mean I literally spent 100 bucks to watch the dang 76ers play ball. Embiid is so much more than a great ball player with all of the skills you could dream up in a big man, however he is so much more when you think of his personality, his twitter account, diving into the stands every single night, choking out his own player after he made a game winner, dancing with cheerleaders. He has infected a whole city in a handful of games. He is talking about the playoffs and for some reason people are thinking, “you know what, maybe”. Embiid is the most fun I have had watching the NBA since Jordan.
If you have not tuned into his games this year, you should. I will give you my sign in and password, he is fun to watch. He is a dominate scorer, defender and super competitive. He loves playing the game and is the best player on the court essentially every night, at 24 min a game, which recently was increased to 28. He shoots threes every game, crosses guys up when they close out and euro steps a floater like a point guard, He has great touch and has a swim move where he gets his man to foul him almost every time, The next play he drives to the bucket and dunks it like he is mad at someone. I love his game, and I love me some Embiid. In my honest opinion Embiid in 20 plus games already has had a better career than Embiid and more of an impact on his team and the NBA than Wiggins has had in 2 plus years.
Here is to hoping they both continue to dominate and hit free agency and play together!
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Thanks, both of these guys are superstars and the face of the program in the NBA.
The equalizer for Embiid if he stays healthy is that at his size he might be the most unique player in the league. And he has the type of character that usually translates to NBA stardom.
Wiggins is still a quiet dude and we’ve yet to see him transform from that still. I always watch highlights of every Wiggins game and he is more outspoken then he was as a rookie but I’m still waiting for him to take the leadership role on that young Timberwolves team.
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Well said! Embiid is fun to watch and he’s made a city remember basketball again.
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@DoubleDD Take Bill Russel and Wilt for example. Do people now think that Bill was better than Wilt? Maybe, but only cuz he had more titles. Both guys were THE man. I think people will look back on Joel the same way regardless of where he plays
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@DoubleDD And! And, Joel will draw high level talent to him.
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@Jayrawks1 said:
I am not an NBA guy, haven’t been since the Jordan days and a few years after. I however watch a lot of NBA and the playoffs every year. For the last couple years I have watched Id say around 50 games of Wiggins, this year I actually purchased the NBA ticket where you can follow one team at a cheaper rate than buying it for all teams, I picked the 76ers.
So, what would an actual NBA guy do? I’d say you are exactly what the NBA is looking for in fans not living in team cities! Good for you, too, because you have had the chance to see Joel’s growth, and it is always cool to see a team improve.
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@mayjay I guess you are correct I was trying to say I am not an NBA guy who cares about a particular team nor do I watch random games unless its the playoffs. I usually tune in to Ku players games. Since Joel Embiid I now root for a particular team, maybe my definition of an NBA guy is wrong, which it probably is, lol
