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"He's about to get his a— kicked" - How Joel Embiid welcomed a rookie Deandre Ayton to the NBA
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- "He's about to get his a— kicked" - How Joel Embiid welcomed a rookie Deandre Ayton to the NBA
When Deandre Ayton walks out on the floor, he is aware that he is facing opponents who have the sole motive of humbling the Los Angeles Lakers ' big man and attracting all the headlines. So, naturally, night after night, DA has a target on his back and faces relentless physicality and intimidation. However, such challenges are hardly new for him.
Interestingly, long before he played his first NBA game, Ayton received a harsh reality check from Joel Embiid , who made it abundantly clear that the former was nowhere near his level. Not only did the Philadelphia 76ers ' big man proclaim himself to be the bigger force, but he also openly warned Ayton how he would face nothing less than a humbling experience when the two would lock horns for the first time.
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Embiid set his target on young Ayton
In his lone season at Arizona, Deandre appeared nearly unstoppable, averaging 20.1 points and a conference-leading 11.6 rebounds per game. Then, when he was named the No. 1 pick in the stacked 2018 draft, which featured Luka Doncic and Trae Young , many naturally compared Ayton to some of the best active big men. And the most common comparison was with Embiid.
However, the 76ers center did not view things the same way. In fact, he took those comparisons personally, seeing them as premature. In his trademark bold manner, "The Process" didn't just remind everyone of his seamless impact on both ends of the court, but even admitted how "Dominayton" had done little to warrant being in the same conversation as him.
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"He's about to get his a— kicked this year," Embiid said . "When you talk about, 'He looks like Joel Embiid ,' I play on both sides of the court. I think I'm a good offensive player, good defensive player. I do it on both ends of the floor. I watched him play, and he's got a lot of work to do. But he's got a lot of potential."
Joel lived up to his words
When the two finally squared off against one another in the 2018-19 season, Embiid seemed determined to prove his point. In their first two regular-season meetings, Embiid averaged 37.5 points while dropping double-doubles in both games and led his 76ers to a win against the Phoenix Suns in both contests. Even more notably, he held Ayton to 17.5 points across both games.
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Interestingly, that performance was only a prelude to what was to come. Joel's dominance over Deandre has extended well beyond those initial matchups. Across the total 11 games they have played against one another, Embiid averages an imposing 34.1 points, while Ayton manages just 12.5.
The clear-cut disparity underscores the gap JoJo believes exists between them. Even though the 2023 MVP may no longer vocalize his stance publicly, his performances consistently reinforce his message about where he stands in comparison and which tier of superstar DA belongs in.
Whether the two big men get a chance to meet on the grand stage of the NBA Finals remains uncertain, but Ayton does need to pull up his socks the next time he faces Embiid, as clearly, given the fact that he has never outscored Joel, speaks volumes about how lightly the star big man might view Deandre.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
