Joel Embiid vs Nikola Jokic: Who is the king of NBA Centers?

Only a few years ago we were told again and again that the NBA was now a point-guard’s league. Hand-checking was banned and the three-second rule meant it was a lot easier for PGs to penetrate the defense and cause havoc.

In the end, this statement was wrong, the NBA has never been a point-guard’s league, it’s the versatile small forward’s league. Want proof? Every Finals MVP going back to 2012 has been a small forward who can do everything on the floor. These are the most valuable players to have because they are ball-handlers that aren’t hindered by their size, unlike point guards.

Another shift we’ve supposedly seen is the disappearance of the traditional towering center, the man in the middle. In the late 20th Century, having an All-Star almost guaranteed your team a high level of success. 

The 90s were particularly fruitful for centers. Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing and Shaquille O’Neal were all incredibly dominant with each player making at least 1 Finals appearance that decade. 

Although we don’t see many back-to-the-basket centers in today’s NBA, there are still some extremely skilled big men to get excited over.

The two most dominant centers in the NBA right now have to be Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. As of 14/02/2021, these are the top 2 ranked players in the NBA by PER, and both are top 5 MVP contenders, but who is better?

I am going to compare these two great players, measuring their offense, defense, and intangibles against each other, and then tell you who I think is the best.

Note: In order to select a player, you need to clarify what you are choosing them for.  Are you selecting for an entire season? A single game, or a Playoff series?

For me, I’m going to choose based on who I would want in a 7-game Finals series; the highest standard of basketball there is.

Offense

On Offense both of these guys are amazing.

Scoring wise they can do everything; score in the paint, hit shots from the post, shoot the mid-range, and knock-down the 3. 

Embiid is averaging 29.6 PPG on 54.3 FG%, 40.0 3P%, and 85.1 FT%.

Jokic is averaging 26.7 PPG on 56.7 FG%, 39.1 3P%, and 85.2 FT%.

These are very similar stat-lines, so I think it’s safe to say that when it comes to scoring, Jokic and Embiid are equally as good as each other.

However, Nikola Jokic is a much better passer than Embiid. Jokic is averaging an astounding 8.6 assists per game compared to Embiid’s 2.8. The entirety of Denver’s offense runs on Jokic receiving the ball in the high-post and him finding teammates either cutting to the basket or getting open for the 3.

This is incredibly hard to guard against as it means that all 5 defenders have to stick to their guy at all times, or risk being embarrassed by a slick pass from Jokic. 

This is a big reason why Jokic has a higher offensive rating (129) than Embiid (124), even though Embiid scores more points; Jokic’s presence on the floor creates more points for his team than Embiid does.

Winner: Nikola Jokic

Defense

Defensively there is a huge difference between Jokic and Embiid.

Rebounds-wise, both players are very similar; Jokic grabs 8.3 defensive rebounds per game, Embiid has 8.8, but in everything else, Embiid is far superior to Jokic.

Embiid averages 1.2 blocks per game compared to Jokic’s 0.6. Jokic does average more steals than Embiid (1.6 vs 1.3), but Embiid is the far superior rim-protector.

According to NBA defensive impact stats, of those players that have played at least 20 games and attempt to defend at least 6 shots attempts at the rim per game, Embiid has the 5th best-defended field-goal percentage at 50.5% on 8.5 defended field-goal attempts per game.

Jokic only attempts to defend 6.0 shots at the rim per game and opponents hit 63.9% of them. This ranks Jokic the worst in the league with the criteria I mentioned above.

Embiid is 7 feet tall with a 7’6” wingspan, and he loves to use it. Embiid sees himself as the defensive anchor of the 76ers and that he has a responsibility to play effectively on both ends. 

Jokic has a 7’3” wingspan which is pretty good for his 6’11” height, but he’s doesn’t use it to great effect on the defensive end.

Winner: Joel Embiid

Intangibles

With regards to staying healthy, Joel Embiid really struggles. He missed his first entire 2 seasons in Philadelphia thanks to a recurring foot injury and has never managed to play more than 64 games in an 82 game regular season.

Embiid is very athletic, so his 280lb frame put a lot of strain on his knees, ankles, and feet when he jumps high. 

Jokic has never had any serious injuries and only misses a few games each season. Jokic isn’t very athletic which definitely contributes to him staying healthier than Embiid. Jokic plays a very lumbering style that isn’t as fancy or fluid as Embiid’s, but it gets the job done without putting too much stress on his body.

When it comes to being a leader, I give the advantage to Jokic. Embiid is a good leader on the floor, but Jokic has the advantage of being a ball-handler. Jokic is always directing his teammates on where to cut and slash. This gives Jokic more authority on the floor than Embiid has. 

Winner: Nikola Jokic

Conclusion

Choosing between these two players is very hard. They are both extremely skilled and provide their own unique advantages. For me, I am going with Joel Embiid. 

Embiid does it on both ends of the floor, something Jokic does not do. In a Finals series where every possession is vital, you can’t have your best player only putting in the effort on the offensive end and expect to do well.

Jokic may be slightly better offensively than Embiid and have better intangibles, but the difference defensively between the two more than makes up for that for Embiid.