Sixers star Joel Embiid ranked as 2nd most dominant center in the NBA
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is one of the top players in the league. At 7-feet tall, he does so many elite things on the floor. He can put the ball on the floor and dribble past defenders. He can knock down jumpers, and he is skilled in the post.
Therefore, he garners significant respect around the league.
After averaging 30.6 points per game and leading the league in scoring in the 2021-22 season, the big fella is once again near the top of the rankings. Bleacher Report put out a list of the most dominant players at each position, and Embiid comes in ranked as the second most dominant center behind, of course, Denver Nuggets star and reigning league MVP Nikola Jokic.
B/R on Embiid:
If Embiid played any other position, the top spot might be his. Every catch-all metric available puts him either second (real plus-minus) or third (box plus/minus, RAPTOR, player efficiency rating, win shares) overall. The issue is he’s staring up at Jokic in every one.
It’s impossible to know if Embiid can ever close that gap, but the fact he has ascended this high is a credit to his improved availability and across-the-board offensive growth. His assists are climbing, his turnover rate keeps dropping, he’s a scoring threat from everywhere and his defense is impenetrable. Putting him second in anything feels cruel, but such is life when you share a position with the reigning back-to-back MVP winner.
These rankings are all going to be given to Jokic at this point. The Denver star is the back-to-back MVP winner, so he is going to get the nod over Embiid at this point until the big fella can overcome him in the list.
When it comes to these rankings, it really all depends on preference. Would one rather have the league’s leading scorer who is also an elite defender or go with the guy who can do it all?
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