A fresh look at the Philadelphia 76ers’ roster is telling the same story in a louder way: Joel Embiid may still be on the team, but he is no longer being treated like the center of everything.
Bleacher Report’s Mo Dakhil put together a “Big Three rankings” list and left Embiid out of Philadelphia’s top trio entirely. Instead, the Sixers were represented by Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Jaylen Brown, a group that ranked fifth overall in the NBA. The outlet also made clear that the label is still a work in progress, noting that these players have not yet proven they deserve to be called a “Big Three.”
Dakhil explained the omission plainly: "For starters, Joel Embiid is not included because it is hard to count on him consistently given his injury history."
That line cuts right to the heart of where the Sixers are now. For years, the franchise was built around Embiid, with former general manager Daryl Morey shaping the roster to fit his game. That approach made sense on paper, but it also tied the team’s fate to a star whose availability has been a constant question.
The current setup feels different under Mike Gansey. Even with the salary cap still largely tied up in Embiid, Maxey, and Brown, the sense around the roster is that Philadelphia now has enough scoring options to keep the offense moving if Embiid is unavailable. Bleacher Report’s ranking reflects that shift.
Maxey has already shown he can carry the load when the Sixers need a star. Still, the article points to one thing he does not yet have: championship experience. That is where Brown enters the picture.
Brown was named the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, and his role in Boston’s title run mattered. In the 2024 NBA Finals, he averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and five assists per game while serving as the Celtics’ secondary scorer behind Jayson Tatum.
He also had a chance to operate as the main option in 2025-26 while Tatum recovered from a ruptured Achilles tendon. In that stretch, Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game, shooting 47.7 percent from the floor.
The message from the ranking is hard to miss: Philadelphia’s identity is shifting, and Brown is being viewed as the player most equipped to lead it. The article frames him as the kind of star who knows how to get a team over the line, something the Sixers need as they chase a championship window.
For Embiid, the perception is sliding in the wrong direction. Once the unquestioned face of the franchise, he is now being pushed out of the conversation about Philadelphia’s top three.
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