Imagine after going through watching several seasons of Joel Embiid play at an MVP level, and he is suddenly seen as a player who can’t crack the top 80 in the league.
On June 4, 2025, The Ringer punished Embiid after a 19-game outing in 2024-2025. The Philadelphia 76ers’ big man was called the No. 84-ranked player in the league.
“According to a lot of your peers, I’m not even a top 100 basketball player in this league,” Embiid said at media day back in October, telling the world he sees the dip, even if it was slightly over-exaggerated. “So I guess I’ve just gotta fit in, and see where I can help the team win basketball games.”
That was a version of Embiid that was accepting what could be a new reality. He might still show flashes of dominance, but will he be an All-Star-caliber player?
Early on in the 2025-2026 NBA season, the questions were valid. Embiid took some time getting his playing time restriction lifted, and he looked as rusty as expected. Missing a stretch of games due to swelling and soreness in the knee didn’t help improve the narrative as well, but the big man kept moving forward.
Progress has been made, and Embiid has seen a massive leap in The Ringer’s latest updated rankings. Still, it’s not enough.
Where Does Embiid Stand?
From 84 to No. 32, Embiid has seen one of the biggest rises this season, which certainly counts as a comeback for the star center.
“He’ll need a maintenance day every third game or so, but it’s a testament to Embiid’s otherworldly talent that his gravity is still All-NBA caliber, games-played qualifications be damned,” The Ringer wrote. “…The dominance comes in spurts, not a deluge. But after everything he’s been through, we’ll take it.”
During his 19-game run last year, Embiid averaged just 23.8 points after being the NBA’s scoring champ nearly three years in a row. Midway through the year, after inconsistent stretches of availability, Embiid underwent a second surgery.
This season, the big man has 28 games in the bag. He is averaging 26.2 points per game, while shooting 49 percent from the field. Embiid is also coming down with 7.5 rebounds per game and blocking 1.1 shots per game.
You can consider The Ringer’s latest ranking reserved. After Embiid’s first 40-point outing of the year on Saturday night, many NBA fans are backing the big man as one of the top centers in the game once again.
Jalen Duren, Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, Karl-Anthony Towns, Chet Holmgren, Evan Mobley, Alperen Sengun, Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic were all ranked ahead of Embiid in this cycle. Most can be debated, seeing how Embiid has played over the past couple of months.
Unfortunately, Embiid is still working to gain trust among voters and raters. The All-Star game will keep him out for the second year in a row, which caused many to deem him a major snub this season. As for The Ringer, the publication claims it wants to see more consistency.
“One excellent quarter might be immediately followed by a labored, ineffectual stint. Embiid’s game is now shrouded by phantoms of what he might have done in the past but can no longer,” The Ringer added.
If Embiid truly believes in using the bulletin board as motivation, then great for the Sixers. He showed a major leap in progression since his October statement. Some may say it’s not enough. There’s still plenty of time left in the regular season and beyond to change the narrative.
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