Joel Embiid Grades & Analysis — C | Philadelphia Sixers

Height

7'0"

Weight

280 lbs

Age

College

Kansas

Experience

11 yrs

C-

Below average

CVI

Top 9%

Sentiment

Top 9%Impact

Impact

A-

Top 13%Role

Role

N/A

Fan Verdict

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The Verdict on Joel, in One Read

On the field, Joel Embiid grades out as an excellent C for Philadelphia Sixers (A Impact). That places him 9th of 97 graded centers. In his on-court role, the grade is excellent (A- Role), reflecting how he produces relative to others at his position. The contract is harder to defend: the Contract Value Index calls it fairly priced (C-), with the cost outrunning the output. The public read is very positive (A Sentiment), drawn from current news and social signal rather than the box score. With 11+ seasons of track record, these grades rest on a deep sample.

Year	GP	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3PT%	FT%
Career	490	26.9	7.7	3.9	0.6	1.2	48.9%	33.9%	83.0%
2025-26	38	26.9	7.7	3.9	0.6	1.2	48.9%	33.3%	85.4%
2024-25	19	23.8	8.2	4.5	0.7	0.9	44.4%	29.9%	88.2%
2023-24	39	34.7	11.0	5.6	1.2	1.7	52.9%	38.8%	88.3%
2022-23	66	33.1	10.2	4.2	1.0	1.7	54.8%	33.0%	85.7%
2021-22	68	30.6	11.7	4.2	1.1	1.5	49.9%	37.1%	81.4%
2020-21	51	28.5	10.6	2.8	1.0	1.4	51.3%	37.7%	85.9%
2019-20	51	23.0	11.6	3.0	0.9	1.3	47.7%	33.1%	80.7%
2018-19	64	27.5	13.6	3.7	0.7	1.9	48.4%	30.0%	80.4%
2017-18	63	22.9	11.0	3.2	0.6	1.8	48.3%	30.8%	76.9%
2016-17	31	20.2	7.8	2.1	0.9	2.5	46.6%	36.7%	78.3%

Season	GP	PTS	REB	AST	FG%	Grade
2025-26	38	26.9	7.7	3.9	48.9%	B+ B+ Top 20%
2024-25	19	23.8	8.2	4.5	44.4%	B+ B+ Top 20%
2023-24	39	34.7	11.0	5.6	52.9%	A+ A+ Top 3%
2022-23	66	33.1	10.2	4.2	54.8%	A A Top 9%
2021-22	68	30.6	11.7	4.2	49.9%	A A Top 9%
2020-21	51	28.5	10.6	2.8	51.3%	A A Top 9%
2019-20	51	23.0	11.6	3.0	47.7%	A A Top 9%
2018-19	64	27.5	13.6	3.7	48.4%	A A Top 9%
2017-18	63	22.9	11.0	3.2	48.3%	A- A- Top 13%
2016-17	31	20.2	7.8	2.1	46.6%	C+ C+ Top 48% — above average

Date	OPP	Result	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG	3PT	+/-
Sun, 5/10	vs NYK	L 114-144	28	24	5	4	0	0	8-8	2-2	-24
Fri, 5/8	vs NYK	L 94-108	35	18	6	5	0	3	7-17	0-4	-9
Tue, 5/5	@ NYK	L 98-137	25	14	4	1	0	0	3-11	0-2	-24
Sat, 5/2	@ BOS	W 109-100	39	34	12	6	0	1	12-26	1-4	+11
Fri, 5/1	vs BOS	W 106-93	34	19	10	8	1	0	6-18	1-5	+7
Tue, 4/28	@ BOS	W 113-97	39	33	4	8	0	1	12-23	0-5	+13
Sun, 4/26	vs BOS	L 96-128	34	26	10	6	1	1	9-21	1-6	-25

Contract Value Index (CVI)

C-

Fair Value

OverpayFair ValueGreat Value

The C- Contract Value Index on Joel Embiid's deal stems from how production lines up against the cap hit. At $55.2M average annual value across four years, he remains one of the league's highest-paid centers, and while his 2025-26 season output — 26.9 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 3.9 APG across 38 games — confirms he's still operating at a franchise-altering level when available, the CVI reflects a straightforward tension: elite two-way performance does not automatically justify a supermax-caliber salary for an established veteran at 32 with a documented injury history that has already cost him availability in these playoffs. His decorated resume—2023 MVP, four All-NBA selections, two All-Defensive nods—was earned during his peak years, and that pedigree still commands respect in the marketplace, but the CVI calculation properly accounts for the reality that a 32-year-old center, even one capable of dominant nights like the clutch surge past Charlotte, carries real durability risk relative to his financial commitment. Philadelphia is locked into this four-year window with one of the league's largest salary anchors at a position where centers typically see production and availability decline faster than guards or wings. The mediaFraming correctly identifies the crux: Embiid's public perception remains buoyed by elite statistical dominance and a compelling playoff narrative, but it exists in fragile equilibrium—the ankle and hip injuries that sidelined him in recent playoff games are precisely the kind of availability questions that prevent this contract from grading higher, no matter how dominant his on-court impact remains when he takes the floor. This deal grades as a C-, not lower, because Embiid is still unquestionably delivering All-NBA-caliber performance; it grades as a C-, not higher, because that performance is increasingly purchased at the expense of contract flexibility and durability predictability.

Performance Analysis

B+

#9 of 97 Centers

FCA+

Joel Embiid earns a B+ Performance grade this season — a quality starter-level center putting up solid numbers for the Philadelphia Sixers. He's averaging 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists through 490 games — carrying a significant offensive load. Joel's strongest area is PPG at 26.9, which compares favorably to the center median of 15.0. The biggest area for growth is APG at 3.9 (center median: 4.0). Among 97 NBA centers graded this season, Joel ranks 9th. Joel is a reliable contributor who the Philadelphia Sixers can count on game to game.

Current Sentiment

Very Positive

NegativeNeutralPositive

Joel Embiid's public standing remains firmly elite heading into the playoffs, and the A sentiment grade reflects a player whose reputation is still largely defined by one of the most decorated statistical resumes of his generation — a 2023 MVP, multiple All-NBA selections, and the kind of dominant two-way presence that makes him the gravitational center of every Philadelphia conversation. The driving force behind that perception is a media narrative anchored in genuine enthusiasm: the surge past Charlotte, with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey leading a clutch comeback, generated exactly the kind of buzz that reminds the league what this team looks like at full strength, and even the "free throw merchant" criticism from opposing broadcast booth commentary reads as stylistic frustration rather than a serious indictment of his game. His on-court production through 38 games this 2025-26 season — 26.9 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 3.9 APG — supports the A- performance grade and confirms that when Embiid is available, he is still operating at a franchise-altering level for a 32-year-old at his position. The playoff context, however, is where sentiment gets complicated: his absence for Game 2 against New York with ankle and hip injuries has immediately revived the loudest and most persistent subplot of his career — the availability question that keeps his public narrative from ascending into the unqualified, uncontested tier reserved for the postseason's most durable stars. The bottom line is that Embiid's sentiment grade is well-earned and defensible, but it exists in a fragile equilibrium — one injury update away from shifting the entire conversation from "dangerous and dangerous duo" to the familiar, exhausting debate about what Philadelphia could have been.

News: 5FanVerdicts Analysis: 1

Joel Embiid

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The Verdict on Joel, in One Read

Career StatsB+

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