Just over one year ago, Joel Embiid scored a career-best 70 points against the San Antonio Spurs. He was shaping up to be the best player in the world and was well on his way to winning his second consecutive Most Valuable Player award. Fast-forward to now, and the national media no longer views him as a top-five player in the Eastern Conference.
Shaun Powell of NBA.com put together a top 10 list involving only Eastern Conference players heading into the 2025-26 season. The list includes Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, Paolo Banchero, Cade Cunningham, Embiid, Evan Mobley, Jaylen Brown, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Trae Young.
Powell also listed Tyrese Maxey, Scottie Barnes, and Bam Adebayo as honorable mentions. Since this list is a projection of next season, he left out Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton as it’s assumed they’ll both be sidelined due to their respective torn achilles.
Is Embiid's placement accurate?
As I’ve said, we have no idea what version of Embiid Philadelphia will receive next season. While none of the minor updates regarding his rehab have been worrisome, there hasn’t been anything necessarily encouraging either. This leads me to believe that Embiid likely won’t be going blow for blow with Nikola Jokic for the crown of best center in the NBA. But, he’ll remain an elite player who’ll be pivotal in dictating the 76ers’ ceiling.
Theoretically, it’s not impossible that with proper recovery time, Embiid will return to peak form. However, considering he’ll turn 32 years old next season and there isn’t a great track record for big men with knee issues, it’s a tad bit unrealistic to believe he can return to best-in-the-world status.
With that in mind, Embiid will likely remain a top 10-15 player in the league – assuming he’ll play more than 19 games as he did in 2024-25. So, Powell ranking him as the sixth best player in the East is a bit harsh, but also justifiable. Players like Banchero and Cunningham will probably take leaps towards their primes and play more games in the regular season. You also have to factor in that Embiid will inevitably miss some time due to load managment.
Nonetheless, there’s also a world where Embiid could re-establish himself as a top-two player in the East. If he can stay relatively healthy, post 26 to 28 points per game, continue to hone in on his playmaking, and redeem himself defensively, we’re still looking at an elite big man. But, we simply won’t know until Embiid steps on the court again.