Joel Embiid’s Rise From No. 84 to No. 32 Isn’t Just a Comeback - It’s a Statement
There was a time not long ago when Joel Embiid was the most dominant big man in basketball - a walking mismatch, a nightly 30-point threat, and the reigning scoring champ for three straight seasons. So when he dropped all the way to No. 84 in The Ringer’s player rankings last June, eyebrows weren’t just raised - they were practically orbiting.
That ranking came after a frustrating, injury-plagued 19-game stretch in the 2024-25 season. Embiid was coming off another knee issue, his availability was spotty, and his numbers dipped.
But No. 84?
That’s the kind of number you give a role player, not a former MVP.
Embiid noticed. At Sixers media day in October, he didn’t shy away from the slight.
“According to a lot of your peers, I'm not even a top 100 basketball player in this league,” he said. “So I guess I've just gotta fit in, and see where I can help the team win basketball games."
That version of Embiid sounded like a man accepting a new role, maybe even a new reality. The question hanging in the air: Could he still be the guy? Or was he settling into the next phase of his career - flashes of brilliance, but no longer All-Star material?
Early in the 2025-26 season, the doubts weren’t unfounded. His minutes were limited to start the year, and the rust was visible.
A stretch of missed games due to knee soreness didn’t help the optics. But Embiid kept grinding, and slowly, the old form started to resurface.
Now, with 28 games under his belt, Embiid has climbed all the way to No. 32 in The Ringer’s updated rankings - a 52-spot leap that speaks volumes about his resurgence. Is he all the way back?
Not quite. But the progress is undeniable.
The Ringer put it this way:
“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 dominance comes in spurts, not a deluge. But after everything he’s been through, we’ll take it.”
That’s a fair assessment. Embiid might not be the 70-game ironman that voters crave, but when he’s on the floor, he still bends defenses like few others can.
This season, he’s averaging 26.2 points on 49% shooting, along with 7.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. Those aren’t just solid numbers - they’re elite for a player still ramping up after another surgery.
And just this past weekend, Embiid dropped his first 40-point game of the season - a reminder that he still has that gear when it matters.
Yet, even with the improved play, the skepticism hasn’t vanished. Embiid won’t be at the All-Star Game for the second straight year, and many fans are calling it a snub. Meanwhile, The Ringer’s ranking still places him behind a long list of bigs: Jalen Duren, Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, Karl-Anthony Towns, Chet Holmgren, Evan Mobley, Alperen Sengun, Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic.
Some of those names make sense. Others? Let’s just say there’s room for debate - especially considering how Embiid has looked over the past couple of months.
The challenge now is consistency. That’s the word that keeps coming up in conversations around Embiid’s current form.
The flashes are there - the footwork, the touch, the defensive presence. But they’re often followed by stretches where he looks winded or tentative.
As The Ringer put it:
“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.”
That’s the battle Joel Embiid is fighting - not just against defenders, but against perception. Against expectations. Against time.
But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Embiid over the years, it’s that he thrives on slights. He’s a bulletin-board guy. And right now, his board is full.
He said back in October that he’d try to “fit in.” But let’s be honest - Joel Embiid was never built to blend in.
He’s built to dominate. And if the first half of this season is any indication, he’s not done reminding the league exactly who he is.
There’s still time. Time to climb higher in the rankings.
Time to make voters rethink their ballots. Time to shift the narrative from “Is he still elite?”
to “How did we ever doubt him?”
For Embiid and the Sixers, that’s the mission - and the season’s second half is the proving ground.