DeMarcus Cousins Says Joel Embiid Could Be the “Best Big in this League”

Despite a frustrating loss that made you want to rip your hair out in a fashion that only the 76ers can, there were bright spots in the Sixers’ loss to the Kings tonight. Chiefly among them being Joel Hans Embiid. Embiid dropped 25 points, snagged eight rebounds, blocked two shots and recorded two steals, including this jump of a pass that had him running the court coast-to-coast in a move reminiscent of young Charles Barkley or young Shaquille O’Neal:

Embiid’s fantastic performance drew the praise from his main rival all evening, DeMarcus Cousins. Their battle in the paint, while ferocious at times, seemed to be ultimately in good faith, given the fun they had patting each other on the butt throughout the game.

This is the video of Cousins’ post-game talk about how good Embiid is:

Here’s the full quote from Cousins after he was asked, “When you look at things tonight, like a matchup against a young, up-and-coming center in this league, what was that like? What are your thoughts on Joel Embiid?”

[smiles] I like that kid a lot. I don’t give a lot of people props, but I like that kid a lot, man. I think he got a great chance of being the best big in this league... after I retire.

Cousins certainly doesn’t get along too well with many in this league. If he’s garnering that sort of praise so soon into his NBA career, the rest of Embiid’s journey in a Sixers uniform has only begun getting fun.