Sixers Joel Embiid lands in Top 5 of ESPN’s Top 100 Player Rankings
Over the past two years, Sixers star Joel Embiid has been arguably the league’s most dominant force.
After a career year in 2021, the All-Star center still managed to take his game to new heights last year. Along with appearing in his most amount of games in one season (68), Embiid posted his highest PPG (30.6) and APG (4.2) marks.
While Embiid continues to dominate his opponents, he still can’t get over the MVP hump. He has finished second in voting behind Nikola Jokic in back-to-back seasons. However, the 28-year-old is starting to get some of the recognition he deserves.
With the start of training camp around the corner, ESPN recently put out the final installment of its top 100 player rankings. Embiid landed in the fourth spot, one spot ahead of Steph Curry.
After two straight narrow second-place finishes behind Jokic in MVP voting, Embiid is again a favorite to claim the award as the anchor of what should be one of the better teams in the league.
Ranked ahead of Embiid is Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Compared to last year’s list, he jumped three spots in one calendar year.
Earlier this week, CBS Sports released their own NBA Top 100 List that featured Embiid at No. 6 overall, with four other 76ers players making the Top 100.
Is This The Year for Joel Embiid?
After two straight years of falling short of MVP, 2023 could be the year Embiid finally gets over the hump.
Being in the prime of his career, it’s fair to assume he will maintain his high level of play. Also, given how Daryl Morey bolstered the Sixers’ supporting cast this summer, the team success should be there to get him in the conversation once again.
Heading into this season, Embiid has the second-highest betting odds to win MVP (+500), trailing only Luka Doncic (+450).
Mandatory Credit: NBA.com
