NBA 2018-19: Anthony Davis vs Joel Embiid - Who has had the better season so far?

Comparisons are what makes the game more interesting along with providing us with an untapped perspective to look at elite talents. Surely all players play under different circumstances for different franchises in different cities, but parallels can always be drawn when traced back to the common ground known as basketball.

For this piece, we'll see how Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis stack up against each other when their respective 2018-19 seasons are juxtaposed. They've both been phenomenal in their approach towards the game and have grown exponentially with every passing game they played. Any franchise would literally sell their roster off to have one of them come play for their city.

The qualities and skills they have amassed over such a short period of time are worth applauding and deserve to documented. Moreover, what makes this comparison credible enough is the fact that they play the same position (forward-center) for their teams and are two of the most talented big men ever produced by the NBA.

Let's dive in and try to make sense of this duel from an unbiased viewpoint, considering only their 2018-19 seasons so far.

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#1 Statistical Comparison

Davis was drafted by the Pelicans when he was 19 years old

Now in his 7th season in the NBA and already a 6-time All-Star, Davis has clearly been getting it done for quite some time now. However, for the ongoing season, JoJo leads AD when it comes to scoring on a nightly basis. Both these men dominate the paint and crash the boards for fun resulting in both averaging solid doubles-doubles across the 50+ games played so far.

Anthony Davis ------------------------------------------------------ Joel Embiid

Davis lags behind by more than a rebound a game but makes up for it with his defensive intensity. He has piled up a total of 86 steals so far while the Cameroonian has managed only 39. He also has around 20 more blocks than the Philly big man and averages nearly 2.5 per game in that aspect of the game.

Davis leads the FG% war by a sliver of a margin, converting shots at a rate of 51.5% in contrast to Embiid's 48% from the floor.

#2 The impact they have had on their respective teams

Davis and Embiid have fairly contrasting relationships with their respective franchises

While back issues have kept Embiid from being available for his team every night, Davis' desires to move on from the city of New Orleans and onto bigger things capped his season with a fair share of drama.

After the mid-season trade drama, the Pelicans kept their golden goose on a minutes restriction and AD's numbers haven't been the same ever since. His team is not projected to make it to the postseason as the front office waits eagerly to get rid of their main man for a mammoth cost.

When NOLA clashed with the Sixers in November, AD notched another precious milestone according to ClutchPoints,

Anthony Davis becomes just the 11th player in NBA history with a 5 x 5 game (12 pts, 16 reb, 6 ast, 5 blk and 5 stl).

On the other hand, Embiid has been dominant in every game he has played despite being on and off the court due to injuries. He has proven to be a legit franchise cornerstone for Philly as they plan on building a dynasty with him and Simmons as the pivots. Joel is averaging a career-high 34 minutes across the 58 games he has played so far and continues to lead his team in scoring and rebounding.

#3 Who is having a better season overall?

One battled his body while the other his ambitions

The megastar in Anthony Davis is ready to take center stage. Joel Embiid has the attitude and the skills to be the most focused big in the league who can also talk trash.

But when it comes to the 2018-19 season, Embiid has ticked all the boxes necessary to beat Anthony Davis due to various internal and external reasons combined. Davis's animosity with his front office and his openly expressed desires to abandon the city of New Orleans have backfired badly.

On the other hand, Embiid is set to be one of the all-time greats for the Sixers organisation and eventually manhandle the league as we see it. He has been posting numbers that are at par with that of Davis' but edges past him in consistency and aggression.

Who knows what could have been had GM Dell Demps agreed to send AD to the Lakers. All that remains now is an abrupt severance in place for one, while the other eyes a conference title in the meantime.