Joel Embiid: Deandre Ayton’s ‘About to Get His Ass Kicked’

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While Phoenix Suns fans are excited about Deandre Ayton as a potential franchise cornerstone, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid believes the No. 1 overall pick may have a tough time transitioning to the NBA. 

“He’s about to get his ass kicked this year,” Embiid said on ESPN’s The Jump on Friday, h/t ESPN.com.

This isn’t the first time Embiid has had harsh words for Ayton, either. As the 7’1″, 250-pound former Arizona Wildcats star drew comparisons to the 7’0″, 250-pound NBA All-Star on draft night, Embiid took to Twitter to point out one major difference in the big men’s games:

That would just be the beginning of this rivalry. Later in the summer, Ayton drew himself dunking on Embiid on a sketch card.

And while Embiid has been critical of his fellow center early on, he acknowledged on The Jump that Ayton has the potential to be a very good player in the NBA, as long as he puts in the work:

“He’s going to be good. But 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. He’s going to be really good.”

Embiid, of course, never shies away from an opportunity to smack talk. When healthy, the 24-year-old is one of the best and most versatile players in the league. He is coming off his first All-Star selection and helped the Sixers snap a five-year playoff drought. 

The expectations for Ayton are high after being taken with the No. 1 overall pick in June—but Embiid refuses to buy into the hype until the first-year center proves himself as a pro.

The Suns and Sixers will meet twice during the regular season, Nov. 19 at Philadelphia and Jan. 2 in Phoenix.