Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony Issue Props to Joel Embiid

Ever since he made his NBA debut, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has established himself as a dominant and versatile big man. His ceiling as a player was always much higher than expected as he picked up the game of basketball late. 

And as he continues progressing through year six, Embiid is once again proving to be one of the most dominant players in the NBA. Although he got off to a slow start to the 2021-2022 NBA season due to knee soreness and a battle with COVID-19, Embiid has picked up his play and been on an absolute tear lately.

Last month, he averaged just under 30 points per game while shooting 50-percent from the field and 39-percent from three. In January, he's been even better as he's averaging 33 points while knocking down 54-percent of his shots.

While his Thursday night performance against the Los Angeles Lakers was his roughest performance in recent time (he still scored 26 points, with nine rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and a steal), Embiid earned some praise from his opponents as Anthony Davis, and Carmelo Anthony saluted the big man.

Embracing the Matchup

"It's always fun playing against another great big," said Lakers star Anthony Davis. "He's been on a tear. Averaging 43, or something like that. Putting the team on his back. We knew it was going to be a tough matchup coming the way he's been scoring the basketball. And it was fun. Fun to battle on both ends. Me guarding him, him guarding me. Any time I get the chance to play against someone like that, I always try to have fun with those matchups. Unfortunately, we just couldn't get the win."

Davis had the better personal performance between the two bigs on Thursday night, but Embiid's playmaking and defense helped the Sixers achieve a dominant 105-87 win over the Lakers. Even though he didn't have to go off against the Lakers as he's done lately, future Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony described just how difficult it is for players to go against Embiid.

Praising the Sixers Star

"His footwork is incredible, you know? Olajuwon-esque," said Carmelo Anthony. "His post game is special. He's seven-two, he's big, he is hard to guard. I'll just keep it a hundred with you; He is a very tough guy to check out there on the court. I love the fact that he is playing at his own pace right now. He's found his pace to play at, and he's taking the game a lot more serious now, as you can see -- as we all can see. That's why he is able to dominate the way that he is able to do now, and he's playing at an all-time high right now."

Embiid's always been motivated to be the best player he can be, but the five-time All-Star took his preparation and development to another level over the last two offseasons. That hard work hasn't gone unnoticed. Last season, Embiid was the NBA MVP runner-up behind Denver's Nikola Jokic.

This season, Embiid is right back in the MVP conversation as we're now more than halfway through the season. Whether Embiid will earn the special accolade or not all depends on if he remains healthy and sustains this high level of play. Regardless of what the voters decide, Embiid is still getting his recognition from some of the league's best.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.