Ranking every Philadelphia 76ers player on the 2018-19 roster

1. Joel Embiid

Most would agree that Joel Embiid is the best overall player on the Sixer’s roster. He offers an array of abilities on both sides of the ball that make him a one-of-a-kind talent in today’s NBA. From Embiid’s Hakeem Olajuwon-esque post moves and euro-steps to his three-point shooting, he is the definition of superstar center in the modern NBA.

Joel Embiid had a successful sophomore year during the 2017-2018 season. Embiid improved in almost every stat category: He averaged 22.9 points, 3.2 assists, and 11 rebounds per game.

That said, a look at Joel Embiid’s numbers fails to do him justice in terms of determining his true value on court.

You can make the argument that Joel Embiid is one of the most complete players in the NBA, let alone on the Sixers.

More from Sixers News

• 3 Sixers players who could help Team USA Basketball
• 76ers 2k24 ratings: 3 most underrated players on Philadelphia roster
• 76ers head coach Nick Nurse bares lofty plans for Paul Reed this season
• Grade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock deal
• Breaking Down Bombshell Report on Sixers Star James Harden

First and foremost, Joel Embiid is an elite scorer with great efficiency. He led the Sixers in scoring the entire season, and was reliable as their number one option on offense. Throughout the season we saw the Sixers primarily use Embiid down low, underneath the rim. He was effective in the post-game, and in shooting mid-range jump shots.

Embiid’s offensive game is especially impressive when you factor in how much the Sixers put the ball in his hands. Per Basketball Reference , Joel Embiid has had the highest usage rate in history for a player’s first two seasons in the NBA. Embiid averaged a monster 34.1 percent usage rate so far. In comparison, all-time great Michael Jordan only averaged a 30.9 percent usage rate during his first two seasons.

Joel Embiid isn’t a one-dimensional player by any means. Embiid proved to be the anchor for the Sixers’ defense, recently winning an All-Defensive Team award.

Embiid is a great rim protector and an all-around defender. When temporarily switched onto smaller players, Embiid has shown that he is capable of playing defense. This is very promising to see, as the NBA has grown to value versatility among players.

One of the more underrated success stories with Joel Embiid involves his health. After injury and setbacks, Embiid was finally given permission to play in back-to-back games during the

2017-2018 NBA campaign. Remarkably, he managed to play in 63 games; a number which would have approached 70 if his facial fracture had not occurred.

While Joel Embiid is already an amazing NBA talent, he does have areas in which he can improve. One are that could stand work? Overall playmaking.

Turnovers have been a consistent problem for Joel Embiid throughout his first two years. Embiid managed to finish among the top five in the league, in terms of turnovers. Embiid is an elite player in this league, which means at times he does get doubled teamed; often leading to a turnover. While he does have the ball often, one would like see his average of almost four turnovers reduced.

Earlier I mentioned that Joel Embiid is temporary capable of playing smaller players well on defense. While he is effective in short-term defensive situations, Embiid struggled playing against perimeter orientated players over long durations of play.

An example of this was when Boston tried to use Aron Baynes as a spot up three-point shooter in the playoffs. Embiid is very comfortable playing defense close to the rim, and it showed with Baynes getting a good amount of spot-up threes.

While he was effective on offensive, Joel Embiid did have an off year in terms of actually shooting the basketball. His three-point percentage dropped from 37 percent his rookie year to 31 percent in his sophomore season.

Embiid did battle a right hand injury early on in 2018. While this might account for some shooting difficulty, shooting is an area Joel must focus on during offseason. When he is hitting three-pointers, Embiid’s game opens up for him as well as others, as defenses need to close out on him.

What to expect in the upcoming season

For the first time in Joel Embiid’s professional career, he will experience a healthy off-season. This is huge news for fans, as he can add a lot to his game during the summer.

As many people know, Joel Embiid works with Drew Hanlen during off-season. Hanlen describes some of the skills that he is working on with Joel in numerous videos and podcasts.

On the Hoops Hype Podcast with Alex Kennedy , Hanlen stated that Joel Embiid is working on three primary things: low post dominance, three-point shooting, and perimeter playmaking. These are arguably Embiid’s three biggest weaknesses. Hearing that Joel Embiid is spending months working weaknesses is very promising. Through honing these skills during a healthy and hardworking off-season, Joel can become an even more complete player.

As such, I would expect to see some improvement in all of three areas. Fans can expect to see Joel Embiid with a consistent three-pointer and better playmaking – Embiid as an instantly MVP caliber player.

With factoring in improvement, I would expect Joel Embiid to put up a stat line around these numbers for the upcoming season:

• 25 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 4 APG, 1 SPG, 1.5 BPG

Joel Embiid is already an elite player, and the best the Sixers have. As a fan it will be incredibly exciting to watch him grow, and see just how high the 24 year old’s ceiling really is.

— Harrison Grimm

Leave your thoughts in the comments below or hit us up on Twitter @SixerSense.