Embiid made his point again on Friday, saying that Ayton, whom Embiid repeatedly has criticised for a lack of defensive effort, is “about to get (soundly beaten) this year.”

Even while acknowledging that Ayton is “going to be good” and has “a lot of potential,” Embiid is calling any comparison between the two players premature.

“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,” Embiid, 24, said on ESPN’s “The Jump” at the 76ers’ media day event at a training camp in Camden, New Jersey.

In June, Embiid went on Twitter to say that unlike Ayton, Embiid plays “defence”.

Embiid, the 76ers’ third overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, didn’t play until the 2016-17 season because of injuries, but in just his second season, he led the 76ers to the Eastern Conference semifinals before they fell to the Boston Celtics in five games.

Last season, Embiid averaged 22.9 points and 11 rebounds in just over 30 minutes per game. He played in 63 games.

Ayton, 20, was named Pac-12 Player of the Year last season after averaging 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game as a freshman with the Arizona Wildcats.

He shot 61.2% from the field, blocked 66 shots, and recorded 24 double-doubles.