James Harden Believes Joel Embiid Is The ‘Most Skilled Big Man’ In The NBA

James Harden dropped a 50-plus-point triple-double on the Philadelphia 76ers and still came away from the game praising Joel Embiid.

Harden had 51 points, 13 assists and 13 rebounds in a 123-118 Rockets win on Friday night. After the game, he had high praise for Embiid, who made a number of outstanding plays on both ends of the floor.

He’s probably the most skilled big man we have in this league. Shooting three at a high level, 7-2 finishing around the basket. Making plays for his teammates. And defensively, he blocked my shot. He’s everywhere. He’s got a bright future, and Philly’s got something special here.

The block Harden references was a monster rejection on a play that Embiid himself finished on the other end.

Embiid sprints down the court to block Harden’s third quarter dunk attempt, then picks up the ball and takes on the Rockets defense alone. He backs Nene down in the post with a spin move and puts up a shot that got the roll to fall.

And that 3-point shooting Harden mentioned? Check out the Houston MVP candidate‘s reaction on the bench after Embiid drains a long three.

Embiid truly did a little bit of everything on Friday night. In his team-restricted 28 minutes he had 32 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in the loss. Harden finished with the bigger numbers and got the postgame interview, but he’s right to call Embiid something special, even if he’s still a work in progress.