With the advent of the small-ball era, the traditional center forward once disappeared, but the center that adapted to the new era is also quietly emerging.
Embiid and Jokic are undoubtedly the best of them, their style of play is completely different, but they have shown absolute dominance, Jokic has the ability to average three-doubles per game, and has won the MVP honor.
Despite injuries, Embiid was still selected as an All-Star four times and the Best Team three times, and this season has gradually entered its peak, completing a single-game 50-point feat.
So who is Embiid or Jokic, the active first center? This issue has been debated for a long time, and even jokic's victory in the MVP last season has not ended the topic.
Even Embiid has openly stated this season that if he played 10 more games last season, the MVP would be his own.
To this end, the US media "FW" also discussed this topic, from 9 abilities to compare Embiid and Jokic two players.
Draw: Key ball skills, leadership skills and one-on-one abilities
Both are big heart type players, shooting, organizing, guarding the rim, Jokic can do everything the team needs him to do in key moments.
Embiid is equally good, he has more self-confidence and has enough skills to get the shots he wants, so the two are tied in this one.
In terms of leadership, both are at the heart of the team and both are outspoken type players, Embiid is very good at using actions and words to bring players together, and Jokic does it all with organization and tandem.
Embiid's winnings: Athleticism, scoring ability and defensive ability
Both are on the offensive end, but Embiid has been significantly better off offensively this season, averaging 28.7 points per game.
He shot 39 percent from three-point range, up from Jokic's 36.3 percent, and beat Jokic's 79.3 percent with 81.5 percent from the free throw line.
So even though Jokic is already a top attacker, with both outside and inside finishing abilities, Embiid is significantly stronger in overall scoring efficiency.
In terms of athletic ability, Jokic's obese body has become a stumbling block, and although Embiid has always had health problems, his athletic talent is beyond doubt, and his overall movement rate, physical fitness and explosiveness are better than Jokic's.
Especially in today's small ball era, Jokic's physical fitness is a big problem, and in the face of high-intensity moving balls and running, Jokic often struggles in the fourth quarter.
Embiid will not be like this, which also allows him to maintain the top defensive state, Jokic is also excellent in defense when he is full of physical strength, but he is trapped by footsteps and physical fitness, and embiid has a clear advantage when changing small players.
Jokic's winnings: Basketball IQ, influence and career
Even throughout the league's history, Jokic's basketball IQ is outstanding in the center position.
He has averaged at least seven assists per game for five consecutive seasons, an incredible achievement for a center forward, with Embiid averaging 4.3 assists per game this season.
This gap allows Jokic to bring better overall influence to the team, and his charming passing skills have exploded Embiid, and he has averaged 13.8 rebounds per game, which is also higher than Embiid's 10.1.
In terms of careers, the two are still in their early stages and have not accumulated too many honors.
Jokic 3 All-Stars, 3 All-Team, 2016 Rookie 1, Embiid 4 All-Stars, 3 All-Star, 2017 Rookie 1, plus 3 All-Defensive Teams.
But the problem is that Jokic beat Embiid last season to take the hard honor of MVP, and with neither of them winning the title, Jokic is slightly better with MVP.
As a result, the final result is clear at a glance, with two top centers with very different styles drawing 3-3 in a nine-ability comparison.
The three abilities of one-on-one, key ball and leadership were drawn, with Jokic winning in impact, basketball IQ and career, and Embiid winning in athleticism, scoring ability and defense.
The ability of the two to win each is also in line with the style of play of the two, as long as the two can remain healthy in the future, I believe that the duel between the two top centers will last for a long time until one of them wins the championship.