[EspressoParticipant]

 Is anyone else exited about this matchup? (***RICKI FLAIR WOAHHH!!!!****)

This is better than Cavs vs warriors for me. Very big fan of both teams, specially kat and Embeast who are my fave 2 players.

Kat poster career high in points in their last matchup, they know that there is talk about surrounding tonight game and both will look to shine.

I expect Embeast to go off…

 

 

 

[EspressoParticipant]

To some degree I feel like I’m watching Australia vs usa. So much talent in the wolves squad, yet philly keeps out executing them.

[Hype Machine]

 I hear you man. Could be a basketball IQ thing.

[HitsterParticipant]

 Could become a really good rivalry over the next decade or so if both guys stay sound.

[Hype Machine]

 Ive got Embiid at 2 levels higher than Towns, who is probably the most over rated player in the league.

GMs voted him as the player they would start a franchise with in a survey.

 

Towns reminds me of prime Derrick Coleman but Embiid reminds me of Hakeem with more range.

 

No contest.

 

[SeattleSuperChronicsParticipant]

 The most overrated player….ur trippin. Averaging 21 and 11 and just turned 21 years old. 

[Hype Machine]

Hes a defensive liability. He can switch onto a perimeter player very well…which fools low IQ fans that hes a good defender.

But he misses rotations and provides zero rim protection. His basketball IQ and defensive instincts are low. Compare his Rim Protection to Porzingis.

You cannot win a championship with a bigman who cant play defense.

 

Karl Anthony Towns will be an All NBA Second/Third team guy (mostly due to misleading stats), but he will never make it to the NBA finals with that atrocious defense.

 

[SeattleSuperChronicsParticipant]

 Just like Hayward is having a bad season?…lol

[Hype Machine]

 Towns just got abused and his bad defense, along with Wiggins, cost them the game.

Plus he was trusted to take the winning shot and he deferred to Ricky Rubio. Basically he choked and gave it to the worst shooter in the league.

In a redraft, hes #3. So not bad…but lets but the brakes on the KAT hype.

 

 

[BleedGreen808Participant]

 He had Embiid in his face at the end so he swung it to Rubio who tied the game with a 3.  You make it sound like he was open and was too scared to shoot the shot.  If you’re taking two players ahead of KAT in a redraft I’m assuming one is Porzingis so who’s the second?  

[Hype Machine]

 My credibility with Bigs is high since I was the only one to call it early with Okafor. 

Devin Booker is the best young backcourt player in the league.  

Towns is on the same level as Myles Turner…who I believe actually contributes to winning basketball more than KAT. 

I’ve seen enough. Towns will never be a good defender. 

[SmooveKRYPTParticipant]

So you diss Towns for being a bad defender, then go on to praise Devin Booker who might be the single worst defender in the whole league (no shade because I’m a big fan of his too) that’s pretty hypocritical.

[SeattleSuperChronicsParticipant]

 Your credibility hahahaha your ego. KAT is a beast. The block Towns had on Embiid and the way he beat Embiid with quickness..did you even watch the game or see the highlights

[negguaryParticipant]

Did you watch the whole game??? Because Towns was far from beating his match up with Embeast….the majority of his points came when embed was out the game and the team played lax when we were up 30. Yes Towns played good and had moments when he matched up with embed and beat him, but when he guarded embed it was a clear mismatch and an automatic clear out lol…and I like towns but just think embed is over him.

[SeattleSuperChronicsParticipant]

 I agree Embiid is the player I would rather have as a GM but my point is KAT is no bum

[OhCanada-Participant]

 Gotta say Embiid dominated that first half. 5-10 for 16-points and 5-boards. Ehen they put Aldrich on him its 1st degree murder. Philly up 14 at the half but expect Minnesota to respond. Towns 2-8. Half starting now.

[BeastMode716Participant]

 Wow! What a treat as a fan…… I’m watching these two future Super Stars & all I’m thinking is: This is the next great Center rivalry in NBA.

KAT was So impressive. His motor never stops, he’s smooth AND he’s physical. He plays w/ so much passion. The way he uses the pump fake makes him almost unguardable. KAT passes, shoots, drives, plays amazing defense & he does all those things w/ an incredible intensity & Towns rebounds like his very life depends on it.

And b/c KAT was so great; b/c KAT showed Zero mercy & tried to Crush the Rookie Embiid is what made Embiid’s performance so impressive. Embiid is an absolute Freak Show. The things he does on a basketball court should Not be humanly possible. You can tell Embiid is still figuring out his game; trial & error, finding his spots & developing a rhythm w/ his teammates but he’s an Insane Specimen. but OMG his skill set is Off the Charts! In addition, he is an absolute Killer. Embiid was blasting his way to the Rim right to the end of the game. He ciuld get his shot any time he wanted but i was clear Embiid WANTED to bang w/ KAT. He wanted KAT to know that he was bigger & stronger & he was. KAT is a Legit 7 footer & looks 250 & Embiid to be 2 inches taller & 20 lbs heavier. Embiid is so tall & long he can get his shot any time any where but even though he has a beautiful smooth stroke & can fill it up from 20 foot & in like it’s nothing, it’s like he wants to make you feel his physicality & his presence so he just pounds his man under the rim

It was the type of match up where I felt grateful to be a fan – Just a Remarkable performance by both men.

 

 

 

[holefillers1Participant]

 For most of the game Towns disappeared when Embiid was in the game.  At the end KAT got it going, looked a little more comfortable. But that dude fouls more people when he is driving the basketball then anyone in the league. He plays hard but he should be whistled for more offensive fouls.  He did block Embiid’s shot at the end of the game.  I have to agree with hype in that Embiid is at least a full level above Towns.  Kat has to work hard for his,  Embiid looks like he is just playin with fools.   

[HitsterParticipant]

 From the part of the game that I saw Embeast was certainly getting the better of KAT and overall put up better scoring on 7 minutes less playing time. Both guys are great young prospects but if Embeast hadn’t missed the 2 years, I think he’d have been ahead of KAT at this moment.

But don’t forget that KAT is over 18 months younger than Embeast but has played nearly 100 NBA games more and possibly played more basketball from a younger age, so to judge where both are now is difficult.

Embeast is playing decent minutes now but is still being managed workloadwise. The next thing we want to see is Simmons on court to see how that dynamic works out.

 

 

[holefillers1Participant]

 Simmons will only help.  Sauce probably played 10 minutes at the 1 last night. Two things I can’t wait for…Simmons making this offense click when he returns and who wants to play with Embiid and Simmons next year.  Philly will have worst record and attract the most talent this offseason.

[IlladelphParticipant]

I liked this match-up too.  Very entertaining.  If I had to go with who is going to be the better long-term NBA player, I am going with KAT.  I say that mainly because Embiid only is playing every other game right now.  He is rested for days at a time when other players have played twice as many games.  Embiid has been brought along so slowly that I don’t think it’s fair to claim Embiid is "on a whole different level" than KAT based on one game they played together.  

KAT has played 117 NBA games in 1 and a half seasons.  Only 8 players in the NBA have played more minutes than KAT this year.  Embiid has played a grand total of 23 games in 3 seasons.  This season alone, KAT has played 35 games versus Embiid’s 23.  I have Embiid on my fantasy team and it’s so annoying that the Sixers rest him every other game.  If KAT had been given 2 years to practice with NBA players with no games, and then rested every other game in his third season, would we see a different KAT right now?  I think everyone tends to forget that although this is Embiid’s "rookie" year, he has been in the league for 3 years, and is being rested and handled with kid gloves this year.

People who claim that KAT does not play defense are not credible.  KAT is 5th in offensive rebounds and 9th in defensive rebounds this year, and is 14th in total rebound percentage (Embiid is not in the top 20).  He is 19th in blocks per game (Embiid not in top 20).  Hard to say that KAT is terrible on defense with these stats.

Let’s let Embiid play more than 23 career games over 3 seasons before we annoint him as the next Olajuwon.  In the meantime KAT is grinding it out night in and night out and putting up sick numbers.  Wait a couple of seasons to see who is better once both players are in the grind and playing comparable minutes.  I don’t think Embiid has the durability, and I think KAT will ultimately be the one who was "levels above Embiid".

I like Embiid, and I think he is a great player.  But I think he’s hte one riding the hype train right now, not KAT.  Let’s see Embiid’s fragile bones make it through a couple of regular seasons without being rested, and players huge minutes like KAT, before we proclaim him "levels above" KAT.  

[Sewok15Participant]

 Embiid would be top 5 in blocks in the league with 2.4 a game if he played enough games to qualify. That is .5 a block more per game in 10 minutes less playing time. There is no debating Embiid is a better rim protector than Towns right now. I would say he is overall better defensively if you look at the Sixers stats with him on the court vs the bench and compare that to Towns. 

Offensively they are very comprable at the moment despite Embiid looking a bit rusty/raw with the occassional turnover or sloppy shot. Embiid has shown to be a slightly better outside shooter and also to have a wider array of post moves…but you can’t argue with Towns effectiveness on that end…he is clearly a 20 and 10 guy going forward and is only going to get better…but Embiid has more potential offensively in my mind as well.

The only category Towns has Embiid definitively beat (outside the obvious durablilty concerns) is rebounding. I think this is a case of Towns being a better statistical rebounder but in reality they are very similar. Embiid has 2 inches and 20 pounds on Towns and is pretty much just as quick. Judging from their one on one battles last night you can’t argue Towns outrebounded him personally.

 I think the stats on the rebounding percentages are slightly misleading because Towns plays a ton of minutes with Wiggins who despite his great athleticism isn’t interested in defensive rebounding where Embiid plays with Robert Covington who plays hard all the time and steals a lot of boards from JoJo. Wiggins has 2 games with over 5 defensive boards where Robert Covington has 7 this season including last night when he had 9. It was the 2nd time this season Covington pulled down 9 defensive rebounds…something that Andrew Wiggins has not done one time in his entire 3 year career. 

The Sixers are babying Embiid but that isn’t his choice. I feel confident he could go out and play over 30 minutes a night and play back to backs but the risk is way higher than the reward at this point. The Sixers have already solidified another high lottery pick with Simmons injury. They are all in on next season at this point.

I think people are so excited that they haven’t even fully unleashed the beast and he is tearing it up. You see this as a negative that he hasn’t played in 2+ years and has limited minutes but other people see this as just the beginning of a very promising career. KAT is good and will likely be great…Embiid is good and will likely be incredible based on what I have watched. Imagine if the Sixers would have taken Porzingis instead of Okafor….

 

[holefillers1Participant]

 I don’t see that logic. Embiid gets better everytime he takes the court.  

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