Regular season Hakeem was a top 50 all time player. Playoff Hakeem has no one you can compare him to. He is a love child of Zeus and Joan of Arc.
I literally just looked this up with my kids. Try 2:20 and 3:15. 2:20 he uses his Dream-like footwork and excellent ball-handling to manipulate the help-defenders until he gets what he wants. Harden does this routinely - for Embiid to do it 30 games in - special. 3:15 speaks for itself. If you squint hard enough it looks like the defender is David Robinson and it's the '95 WCFinals. BAMBOOZLED I TELL YA, BAM. BOOZ. LED. Kidding aside. Philly is going to be scary good with a healthy Ben Simmons. I don't blame LBJ for wanting to win these next 2 years. If Embiid progresses like this, the East will run through Philly the same way it did in the early 80's. I've paid stupid amounts at auctions for my kids to get signed Dream basketballs and even get to play with/against him on the court. Trust me, my money has been where my mouth is when I tell you Dream was, is, and will forever be the best. But this kid, at 22, is ahead of where Dream was offensively. Now, the slope of Dream's offensive ascension is basically unparalleled among guys who come in to the league at an already elite level - so Embiid needs to continue and develop to be sure. But wow, this kid is SPECIAL!
Why doncha listen to the man himself: "Wow, I can see myself" - Hakeem There is a whole thread in the dish about Embiid. I've said it there; this kid, if he stays healthy, is going to be Hakeem 2.0. Obviously, they are not going to be exactly alike, but the quickness, lateral mobility, face-up... It is a shame that us Rockets fans are denying this. It should be a sign of respect that one of the best rookies in recent memory (compared to Wilt, as well, in numbers), is compared to Hakeem. That's respect. We also should be happy of the impact Hakeem continues to make across the league. If he stays healthy, Embiid is winning the MVP within 5 years.
Its hard to say right now because Embiid is just scratching the surface of what he can do, isn't he basically a rookie right now due to missing 2 years(and getting his GM fired)? But its not looking good for Embiid IMHO, it's just his rookie year but he missed 2 years and he's not even completely healthy this year, he still missed games due to various knee problems. So how can he reach Hakeem's level when it's almost impossible for him to have a long career like Hakeem? Hakeem was a workhorse, he played every year healthy despite being the center of the team's offense and even up to when he retired he was still fit enough to do stuff on the court (just like Drexler). Embiid oth, I don't know if he will reach 9 years in the league, his leg might give way once he ages a bit and is exposed to the grind of the NBA. And I think it's a shame because looking at Embiid now he is unreal. He reminds me a lot of Greg Oden, definitely potential HOF potential if only he was 100% healthy.
Hakeem could do everything on the court. Embiid is similar in that matter. Dream with better defensive instincts and quicker. Embiid with range and size. Count me as impressed, Embiid is the real deal.
I'm in the camp of Dream being one of a kind, the original, cannot be replicated. At the same time, if analysts etc. struggle with superlatives, I believe Dream won't mind. Good luck to him.
1st off aside from his Toronto years at the end of his career, Hakeem absolutely scared the **** out of the entire opposing teams and centers every time he got on the court especially in his prime.. Embid can be extremely next level good possibly even Great if he can have a long career playing to his potential but they are 2 completely different players in different eras in my opinion....even MJ called Hakeem one crazy African and picked him as the top center he'd want on his team out of all centers to ever play in the NBA
NBA 2K14 Michael Jordan Uncensored Part II Admires Hakeem ... ▶ 4:13 Nov 13, 2013 - Uploaded by HipHopGamer http://www.hiphopgamer.com http://www.twitter.com/hiphopgamerMichael Jordan is the greatest 2K Sports ... Jordan: "If I could get any player of All-Time? Hakeem Olajuwon, not ... https://www.reddit.com/r/.../jordan_if_i_could_get_any_player_of_allti... Aug 25, 2015 - http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on...n-michael-jordan-far-superior-to-lebron-james.
Yeah. Chauncey says many nebulous things. Off the bat, Dream was quicker overall and I don't think Embiid will ever replicate that. I also feel like these kids grow up practicing different things to be more effective in today's NBA. Because of that, the comparison's are going to be uneven, at best. Process has length and that 3 ball (which looked excellent tonight, I didn't know he had that). The factor to look out for is consistent good health and if that happens I don't see why he can't make a name for himself. But, simply put, there will never be another Hakeem Olajuwon. The way he took games over in a league full of dominant bigs was truly a sight to behold. When I talk to Spurs fans, they usually go on about the Popovich years but the one's who remember hold their heads in shame when I mention the "rightful MVP" series.
