Joel Embiid has been named “Most Talented” by Doc Rivers

ByNBAUSA



Only the second time since fired by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2023, Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid will share the field, and “Proces” leads its team to the field against Milwaukee Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo.

While Rivers’ era as coach of the 76ers will go down largely as an underwhelming one, as his team failed to overcome a slump and appear in the Eastern Conference Finals, he got a front row seat to some of the best seasons of Embiid’s career, including his MVP win in 2023.

Asked before the game to see how Embiid looks like his old self after several injury-plagued seasons, Rivers didn’t hold back, boldly declaring that Embiid the most talented player he coached his amazing career.

“You know, it’s funny, it’s like Groundhog Day, you know, it really is. You know, I was telling a very, very, very Hall of Famer that I coached that Joel is the most talented player I’ve ever coached. And he said, ‘What?’ And I was like, ‘He’s, you know, he can do things that you guys see and then things that you don’t really see in practice. It’s amazing, it really is,” Rivers said.

“You know, unfortunately for me, I’ve never had him healthy once in the playoffs. He wasn’t healthy last year; he wasn’t healthy the year before. You know, that’s five years in a row, I think. And if he ever gets into the playoffs healthy, especially if they add some big pieces here. They’re going to be a dangerous team, that’s not going to change.”

Taking the court in 26 games and counting so far this season, seven more than his 2024-25 total, Embiid has indeed looked like his former self, flirting with a point per game in 2026 while still under a slight minutes restriction as he returns from offseason surgery. He is averaging 25.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. .486/.280/.855 shooting and most importantly, he was able to make things work in Nick Nurse’s new rushing attack designed to take advantage of Tyrese Maxey’s elite acceleration.

With rebound-focused power forwards like Dominique Barlow and Jabari Walker helping take the load off the boards, Embiid has played like an All-Star and could join the team in Los Angeles next month as Antetokounmpo’s injury replacement as a result of his play.





2026-01-28 01:22:00

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