Originally Posted by
SoCal4Pels
I wasn't here for that being on the outside, I don't think fans from other teams paid much attention, but it sounds pretty much like Tim Duncan throughout his career. My main theory for that was: Duncan wants to be compared to the all-time greats at the 4 and not the 5, which pretty much puts him at the top of the heap. You throw him in with 5's, and even before you do that, nobody can make a conclusive argument when you have Kareem, Wilt, Shaq, Hakeem, Bill Russel.
And even if it had to do with the then present era, it could mean Duncan didn't want to be compared against the much physically stronger Shaq, with whom he had uncountable battles, and a totally different type of game.
Could be the same for AD? Either he is thinking ahead and doesn't want to be compared to greats at the 5, or he doesn't want to be compared to current guys like Embiid who are stronger than him.