Ranking the top 100 NBA players — 9. Joel Embiid
Now that we’ve reached the top nine or so players, we’re splitting hairs. Joel Embiid is an MVP candidate, one of the greatest two-way bigs of his generation, and someone who has single-handedly carried the workload for Philadelphia on far too many occasions. The Sixers were the No. 1 seed last year for a reason, even if elements outside of Embiid’s control doomed them in the playoffs.
That said, there are hairs to split. Embiid does have roughly 15-20 missed games baked into regular season expectations. Fatigue is not a huge issue, but when he’s forced to do everything in a playoff series, it can lead to eight turnovers in a critical Game 7 loss. Turnovers have been Embiid’s bugaboo ever since he entered the league, and while he made major strides processing the game last season, double teams can still phase him every now and then. Embiid is not a great passer.
For those reasons, Embiid falls to No. 9, even if he can look like the NBA’s best player on any given night. In fact, for the first 10 or so games of the playoffs, there weren’t many players operating on Embiid’s level. He’s not only the sun and moon for Philadelphia’s offense, but he basically guarantees them a top-10 defense, no matter the personnel around him. He is arguably Philadelphia’s best and most impactful defender, and Ben Simmons just finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Last season, Embiid was No. 2 in the MVP race and might have won, were it not for injuries. He averaged 28.5 points and 10.6 rebounds on .513/.377/.859 shooting splits. He practically lives at the free throw line because no one can guard him inside, and the improved outside shot has only unlocked more opportunities for Embiid to feast on compromised defenses.