Is AJ Hammons Better Than Joel Embiid? NBA Stats Decide

This is as close as it gets. AJ Hammons and Joel Embiid split the statistical categories evenly — 4 apiece — making this one of the most genuinely contested C comparisons in NBA history. When the numbers are this balanced, the debate comes down to which statistics matter most to you.

Joel Embiid's Rebounds Per Game of 10.8 compared to AJ Hammons's 1.6 represents a 575% advantage — dramatically better than their counterpart in this critical category. AJ Hammons falls 79.7% below the career average of 7.9 in this category while Joel Embiid exceeds it. It is the single most decisive number in this comparison and the clearest statistical argument for Joel Embiid's edge.

The most competitive category in this matchup is Assists Per Game, where AJ Hammons posts 4 against Joel Embiid's 3.7 — a gap of just 8.1%. Joel Embiid can point to this as evidence that the overall comparison is closer than the final 4-4 tally suggests. In any debate, Assists Per Game is the statistical ammunition for the Joel Embiid side.

Centers have evolved dramatically across NBA eras — from dominant low-post scorers to modern stretch bigs. Career statistics must be evaluated with positional evolution and era context in mind.

With categories split evenly, this comparison ultimately comes down to which statistics matter most to you. Joel Embiid claims the tiebreaker through Rebounds Per Game advantage — a 575% edge — but reasonable people can, and do, argue both sides of this NBA debate.