NBA List Shows Rare Love to Sixers Star Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid: Top Six in the East

“Some might argue that a former Kia MVP — just two seasons ago! — is slotted too low, while others who cite his inability to stay on the floor might say he’s too high,” writes NBA.com’s Shaun Powell.

“The truth is right here, in the middle, at No. 6 for a center who is a force when healthy. Here are the facts: Embiid has never played 69 or more games in a season and played just 58 combined the last two. His conditioning is a perpetual issue, and his height — combined with his weight — could cause availability problems the rest of his career. That said, he’s an MVP candidate when fit and motivated and can take over games at both ends.”

The 2020-2021 season was the first time Embiid was recognized as a potential MVP winner. He was the runner-up to Nikola Jokic. In the following season, Embiid was right back in the race.

He played a career-high 68 games in 2021-2022. For the first time, Embiid was the NBA’s scoring champion, averaging 31 points per game. Although he lost out to Jokic for the second year in a row, it seemed there was only a matter of time before Embiid got his.

In 2022-2023, he got his. Once again, Embiid was the scoring champion with 33 points per game. He averaged a double-double with 10 rebounds per game. For most of the first half of the 2023-2024 season, Embiid looked like he was on a path to repeat. Then, a knee injury put him on the operating table.

With just 39 games played in 2023-2024, Embiid landed his seventh All-Star nod. His dominance would shine, but his injury concerns would cast a dark cloud over everything moving forward. Last season a down year for the Philadelphia big man.

Embiid struggled to get on the court consistently, and when he would play for a stretch of games, he would be forced to miss time shortly after due to knee swelling. Eventually, the Sixers shut Embiid down. He finished the season by averaging 24 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in 19 games.

Another surgery may or may not solve Embiid’s issues for next year. The 31-year-old has a long history of injury concerns, which leaves analysts skeptical of his chances of bouncing back and getting back into MVP contention.

At least for one list, Embiid has a believer.