The Philadelphia 76ers are no strangers to getting flat-out disrespected in the routine predictions laid out by media outlets before the season begins. However, ESPN took it up a notch this time, ranking Joel Embiid at No. 41 in their list of best players in the league. Well, the former Most Valuable Player now has every reason to take that insult personally as he approaches a critical campaign that has them slotted in as definitive title favorites.
ESPN did not explicitly dish out a reason as to why they ranked Embiid that low (which is puzzlingly an increase of six spots from last year), but his injury concerns and uncertain availability were tossed up as major points of issue with the superstar. Still, considering the players who were ranked above him on the list, the 76ers star has to take this personally.
ESPN's disrespectful ranking should fuel Joel Embiid this season
Ranked ahead of Embiid are names such as Stephon Castle, Jalen Duren, Amen Thompson, and Alperen Sengun. No offense to those players, but the fact that the 76ers star is pegged to be on an inferior footing compared to them is a travesty.
While the availability concerns are valid, Embiid is still a far superior player to most guys ranked ahead of him on that list. Last season, he proved that he remains the premier post player in the NBA, putting up monstrous scoring numbers when he was fully healthy.
In fact, Embiid managed to return from an appendectomy procedure late in the season to lead the 76ers to a historic comeback against the Celtics while being down 3-1 in their first-round affair. While he ran out of gas in the second round, it was clear that he was still the best player on the 76ers.
The superstar big man is probably still the biggest pendulum swinger for the 76ers this coming season despite the addition of two other All-NBA cogs in LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. As long as he is at least 90 percent healthy, he will arm the 76ers with a walking mismatch in the post, as no player can still handle him down there one-on-one.
Hopefully, Joel Embiid can use the pervasive disrespect to his name as of late to prove his naysayers wrong. The 76ers have a clear missive this season, and if the former MVP can turn those adverse opinions into fuel to be a dominant force on both ends, the team should be much closer to its ultimate goal.
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