Philadelphia 76ers: Where Joel Embiid ranks among the best players

The Philadelphia 76ers’ All-Star center thinks highly of himself, but where exactly should he rank among the best players in the NBA?

After the Philadelphia 76ers‘ recent victory over the Brooklyn Nets, Joel Embiid was in high spirits. It’s not surprising considering he had 39 points and 16 rebounds. Considering that type of game he had, it’s no surprise that he had this to say.

"“‘But the All-Star Game, just proving I’m here, I belong, and being the best player in the world, I just intend to keep coming out every single night and just play hard and trying to get wins and just go out and try to win a championship.'”"

Obviously, some of this is just hyperbole and while Embiid isn’t the best player, he is an elite one. It’s good that he has this mindset, but where exactly does he rank at his own position and in the whole NBA?

He’s easily the best center in the NBA. There are very few centers that can even challenge Embiid for that mantle.

Karl-Anthony Towns is just as offensive gifted as Embiid, but he barely plays defense at an average level. Rudy Gobert is slightly better than Embiid defensively, but he isn’t offensively gifted outside of the paint.

Nikola Jokic is probably the one center that can truly challenge Embiid for the title of best at that position. Jokic is the best passing big man in the NBA. He doesn’t usually, but he can score on the same level as Embiid. His rebounding is elite too, but the only knock against him is that he’s only a slightly above-average defender. Outside of passing, Embiid is better than Jokic and that’s why he’s the best center in the NBA.

Embiid is the best center in the NBA, but where does he rank among the other elites? Below is where I personally rank him among the best players in the NBA (when everyone is healthy).

I personally see Embiid as a top-10 player in the NBA, which I feel is a fair spot for him. If he was healthier and played with a high motor every game, he’s easily a top-5 player. However, until then he’s a top-10 talent.

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The top-5 of this list was pretty simple. LeBron is still playing like the best player in the league despite him being 35-years-old. Playmaking and availablity are the only two things that are stopping Leonard from being number one.

Antetokounmpo is a jump shot away from being the best. How Durant comes back from injury will have an affect his ranking moving forward, but he’s not at a bad spot now. Harden is the best offensive player in the NBA, but not anywhere close defensively.

The second half of my rankings are a little more fluid, but let’s pay attention to who is directly behind and ahead of Embiid. Davis is behind Embiid because while he’s a little more versatile than Embiid, he’s not on the same level as Embiid when it comes to being physically imposing.

Lillard has shown that he’s able to take on the role of franchise savior for the Portland Trail Blazers. If he wasn’t on that team carrying them every night, they’d be a top lottery team for sure. Lillard is arguably the second-best point guard in the whole NBA and with the league being perimeter-oriented, it makes sense for him to be ahead of Embiid.

The Philadelphia 76ers big man isn’t the best player in the world, but he’s a top-10 player in the NBA and the best at his position. He’s also one of the most physically dominant players in the game. While he’s not the best player in the NBA, it’s good he has that mindset. The Sixers will need him to play like he is if they want a shot at an NBA Championship.