As the Philadelphia 76ers and the rest of the NBA move forward with their preparation for the 2021-22 season, now is the time for rankings of the best players in the game.
The Sixers are always in the mix for an Eastern Conference crown because they have a lot of talent. They had a few representatives already on ESPN’s top 100 players list. Now their superstar big man has popped up.
Joel Embiid, the 2021 MVP runner-up, comes in ranked seventh right behind MVP Nikola Jokic on the list. ESPN on Embiid:
Before Embiid suffered an unlucky fall in Washington in March, it looked like he had a real shot at being the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. Instead, he wound up finishing second behind Nikola Jokic. Still, if Embiid could be penciled in for 75-plus games today, he would be the heavy favorite to be the league’s MVP this season — and possibly its Defensive Player of the Year as well. With the uncertainty of the Ben Simmons situation, there won’t be a more important stat for the 76ers this season than the number of games Embiid can play.
Embiid averaged 28.5 points and 10.6 rebounds in a dominant season for him. Now, he will most likely have to do even more as the team moves on from the Ben Simmons.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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