Toronto Raptors: Is Pascal Siakam a top-5 player in the East?

Toronto Raptors - Pascal Siakam (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Toronto Raptors - Pascal Siakam (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /
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Toronto Raptors – Pascal Siakam (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

2. Joel Embiid

The current King of Philadelphia, it seems that Joel Embiid can do no wrong in the eyes of Sixers fans, even after his unsavoury scrap with Karl-Anthony Towns last week.

As it stands, Joel Embiid is without a doubt the most dominant center in NBA today. He’s a 7-foot monster who can do it on both sides of the ball, and that is what makes him so compelling – along with his fiery charisma.

While his stats aren’t as eye-popping as last season, Embiid has the chance to compete with a much more well-rounded roster, even if there are concerns about the offensive fit and depth. Al Horford will help take away some of the defensive strain for Embiid, and overall, the Sixers – led by Joel Embiid – are a much stronger team than last year, and maybe the best defensive team in the league.

A lot of that is still down the how much havoc Embiid can wreck in the paint, on both ends of the court. Embiid has averaged two blocks per game throughout his career but has also shown that he has the athleticism to guard out on the perimeter against smaller players.

Managing his minutes will be a tough ask this season, because the Sixers are just so much better when he is on the court.