Joel Embiid is going after Eastern Conference centers.
First, Hassan Whiteside. Now, Andre Drummond.
Embiid, via Keith Pompey of The Inquirer:
“Defensively, he doesn’t play any defense,” Embiid said of what he saw. “When we started the game, he was being aggressive and he was talking, too. … So what I was like [in my mind] ‘You want to do that? I’m going to kick your [butt] then. So that’s what I did.”
“In my mind, I was like, ‘You want to switch up, because you are playing against me,’ ” he said of Drummond. ” ‘You want to be all physical and talk [trash].’ So I was like, ‘you are going to get our [butt beat].’ I love that.”
Embiid (31 points on 11-of-15 shooting and nine rebounds) thoroughly outplayed Drummond in the 76ers’ 97-86 win over the Pistons last night, though Drummond (14 points and 14 rebounds with four steals) was still impactful. Most importantly, Philadelphia outscored Detroit by 21 in the 28 minutes the centers shared the court.
Embiid is trying to establish himself, so that means taking it to a former All-Star like Drummond – apparently during the game and after. Embiid is nothing if not relentless.