Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was arguably in the midst of another MVP season before suffering an injury during the regular season, and regardless of how things turn out for the superstar center, one analyst still sees him as a top-tier NBA star.
Jayson Tatum has received his fair share of criticism despite leading his team to his second NBA Finals in three years, and with the Boston Celtics set to face the Dallas Mavericks, the debate has raged over where the All-Star forward ranks among the league's best players.
Speaking on ESPN's “Get Up,” Zach Lowe said he doesn't view Tatum as a top-five player in the NBA right now, and Embiid was one of the players ranked ahead of the Celtics star when healthy.
“If everyone is healthy, the top four players in the league are definitely Luka, Jokic, Giannis and Embiid, in that order.” Rowe says“This year, SGA was fifth. Well, five. Five out of five…Tatum is probably sixth, seventh or eighth.”
Over the past four years, Embiid has proven himself to be one of the most unstoppable forces in the league, winning the MVP award last season and being the league's leading scorer on two separate occasions. In 39 games this season, Embiid is averaging 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
For much of his career, Embiid was considered one of the NBA's best two-way centers. Fresh off an MVP season, the 76ers star has managed to take his game to new heights. Under new head coach Nick Nurse, Embiid has become even more of a playmaker. Thanks to the players acquired in the James Harden trade, the star big man has multiple weapons around him when defenses collapse.
Though injuries have limited his on-court play this season, Embiid still deserves to be at the top of any list of the NBA's top talents, and on the court, few players have been more impactful in every aspect of the game.
