Joel Embiid Believes He Is Already ‘The Best Defensive Player In The League’

Joel Embiid continues to captivate the entire NBA, both with his on-court play and his off-court persona. In a grand sense, his numbers (22.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 24.02 PER) have been phenomenal this season but, on Wednesday evening, Embiid focused on one particular part of his game and he expressed supreme confidence. In short, he has a very strong belief in his defensive profile, including a strong assertion when compared to players like Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert and others.

“Not to be cocky but I think I think I’m the best defensive player in the league right now,” Embiid said to the assembled media. “I just want to keep on going. I’m still getting better. My blocks are a little bit down but I’m a better rebounder this year…. I do a lot of things to help the team win and the guys around me do a lot of things to help me too. I just want to keep on going and be the best defensive player in the league and hopefully this year I can win Defensive Player of the Year.”

Embiid notes that his blocks (1.9 per game) are down from his career average of 2.3 per game but, given the (very) small sample os his overall profile, that is effectively a rounding error. It would be quite difficult to unseat Green, Gobert and even a healthy Kawhi Leonard for the top spot among defensive players in the league but, in the same breath, Embiid does rank within the top 10 in most “advanced” statistical metrics and the evidence is clear of his impact.

With the 23-year-old center on the floor this season, the Sixers sport a devastating 96.6 defensive rating that would rank among the league’s elite. When he moves to the bench, though, Philly’s defense becomes ordinary (or even bad) to the tune of a 107.6 rating and that speaks to his own personal belief in the impact.

There are many factors that would lead NBA voters away from Embiid as the Defensive Player of the Year and, frankly, we don’t know that he can stay on the floor for the 70-plus games likely required to even be a factor. Through a month of the season, however, Embiid is showing all of the potential that he was always known to have and that includes a terrifying defensive ceiling.