The Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid has been on a tear lately and was able to keep it going through the month of April. He’s already broken two records this season, but is he pushing for more?
Joel Embiid, who plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, is starting to lock up the scoring title. He has been averaging 28 points per game and has a chance to win it all this season.
This Joel Embiid man can score the basketball fairly well.
The big man has flourished throughout the year regardless of who he’s playing with — or, in the case of Ben Simmons, not playing alongside — for a Philadelphia 76ers team poised to earn home-court advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs. With his two-way play, he can easily grab baskets inside and out, enhancing his MVP chances.
He’s always ranked in the top five of our NBA Player Power Rankings, but has he progressed any closer to the top place since his previous appearance at No. 3?
We’re moving to rolling player ratings, which employ game score and schedule changes to analyze how each player has done during his previous 10 games, using data supplied by NBA Math. The greater the number, the better the performance, and it’s scaled such that the results are equivalent to the scale used to evaluate the scoring outputs.
To be considered for our top-25 ranking, players must have played at least once in the previous week.
Towns, Porzingis, Harden, Ball, and Poole (Nos. 25-21)
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Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns (#25): 18.81 (Previous ranking: No. 13)
Kristaps Porzingis of the Washington Wizards is rated 24th in the NBA with an average of 18.97 points per game (Previous ranking: unranked)
Brooklyn Nets’ James Harden (#23): 19.32 (Previous ranking: No. 17)
LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets, 22nd place: 19.35 (Previous ranking: No. 24)
Jordan Poole of the Golden State Warriors is ranked 21st with a score of 19.39. (No change)
Because of their No. 11 ranking in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Wizards aren’t in contention for the playoffs, but following Bradley Beal’s season-ending wrist surgery in February, this season has fast become more about the future than the present. And that’s wonderful news for Kristaps Porzingis, who joined the Knicks right before the trade deadline and has excelled for a club that isn’t on everyone’s radar.
He’s left little question that he’ll be a vital part of the future in D.C. during his past ten games. He’s averaging 23.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.7 blocks a game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three, and 87.1 percent from the free throw line. He’s exhibited some of the aggressiveness he lacked in past stops, whether he’s fired from beyond the arc or attacked the basket.
Porzingis is under contract through 2022-23, with a $36 million player option that he’ll most likely take up in 2023-24, so Wizards fans can start fantasizing about the pick-and-roll/pop play he’ll execute with a healthy Beal next season.
LaVine, Butler, Ingram, Mitchell, and Bridges (Nos. 20-16)
Jimmy Butler after making multiple 3s in consecutive games for the first time all season: “Yeah, everybody’s yelling at me to shoot more 3s. Which I can.” pic.twitter.com/EW4KLkYkXe
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) April 6, 2022
Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls is ranked 20th with 19.5 points (Previous ranking: No. 19)
19. Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler: 19.5 (Previous ranking: No. 25)
New Orleans Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram (#18): 19.71 (Previous ranking: No. 22)
Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell (#17): 19.71 (Previous ranking: No. 18)
Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets, 16. Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets: 19.81 (Previous ranking: No. 19)
Remember how when Happy Gilmore started to putt, the game changed forever?
Jimmy Butler hit two of his four long shots against the Charlotte Hornets three days later after going 2-of-3 from outside the arc against the Chicago Bulls on April 2. It was the first time he’d made multiple threes in consecutive outings all season. Surprisingly, both performances were his sixth and seventh appearances with multiple made threes this season.
The Miami Heat have been winning games all season, and they are now two games ahead of the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings. And, given Butler’s outstanding season so far despite doing so much of his damage on the inside, they may be even more lethal for the most critical games on the schedule if he finds confidence from beyond the arc.
Garland, Siakam, Brown, DeRozan, and Davis (Nos. 15-11)
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Cleveland Cavaliers’ Darius Garland: 20.18 (Previous ranking: No. 16)
Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors is ranked 14th in the NBA with 20.3 points per game (Previous ranking: No. 15)
Jaylen Brown (20.42) of the Boston Celtics is the 13th best player in the NBA (Previous ranking: No. 14)
DeMar DeRozan (20.78) of the Chicago Bulls is the 12th best player in the NBA (Previous ranking: No. 23)
Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis (#11): 22.33 (No change)
Pascal Siakam will have a virtually tough task garnering All-NBA honors for the first time in his growing career, especially with Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid theoretically eligible at forward on votes.
At the forward positions, Embiid/Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan, and Jimmy Butler are the main competitors, and it’s difficult to see him stealing one of the six. Siakam, on the other hand, is obviously playing at an All-NBA level, even if he won’t be recognized for it.
Even when deferring touches to Fred VanVleet, Scottie Barnes, and the rest of an offense that can frequently flourish in an egalitarian approach under head coach Nick Nurse, he’s excelled this season. He’s been a fantastic and versatile defender. And he’s gotten better as the year has progressed, averaging 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.0 steals in his past 10 outings while shooting 53.3/33.3/75.9.
Tatum, Doncic, Young, Irving, and Booker are the Nos. 10-6.
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10. Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum: 22.45 (Previous ranking: No. 9)
9. Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic: 23.31 (Previous ranking: No. 8)
Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks is ranked eighth in the NBA with a rating of 23.87. (Previous ranking: No. 6)
7. Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving (23.9) (Previous ranking: No. 10)
Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker (6th): 24.15 (Previous ranking: No. 7)
We couldn’t be sure if Kyrie Irving would be as successful if he returned to the Brooklyn Nets full-time until New York City loosened its limits on unvaccinated employees, enabling him to rejoin the team full-time. He’d excelled in his part-time position, putting up high-scoring performance after high-scoring performance and taking advantage of the enhanced freshness with which he could operate due to the extended time between games.
Those inquiries are no longer valid.
He’s now played eight games in a row, averaging 27.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Even better, he’s only turned the ball over three times a game and has helped the Nets outscore their opponents by an average of 4.5 points per game while he’s on the court, shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from three on 10.5 attempts per game. He’s also connected 97.0 percent of the time from the stripe.
Irving, it turns out, is a phenomenally good basketball player in any setting.
Durant, James, Antetokounmpo, Embiid, and Jokic are the Nos. 5-1.
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Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets is ranked fifth in the NBA with a score of 25.73. (Previous ranking: No. 4)
4. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers (26.12 points) (Previous ranking: No. 5)
3. Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo: 26.85 (Previous ranking: No. 2)
2. Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid: 26.95 (Previous ranking: No. 3)
1. Nikola Jokic (30.36) of the Denver Nuggets (No change)
Joel Embiid has spent most of this season attempting to become the first center to win the scoring championship since Shaquille O’Neal, but never at the cost of the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s still putting in a lot of effort on defense, has improved as a passer out of double teams, and has avoided falling into stat-chasing area.
Despite the fact that LeBron James has a chance to win the scoring title for the first time since 2007-08 — a feeling that may hold true even if he doesn’t officially qualify — Embiid is doing everything he can to make all other hopefuls irrelevant.
He currently leads the league in scoring with 30.4 points per game, and he’s averaged 33.1 points per game in his previous ten games, including 89 points in his last two. Furthermore, such figures were achieved when he was slashing 53.0/40.5/78.2.
Embiid is in a close race for MVP with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic, but he’s making it appear like the scoring fight is over.
Unless otherwise stated, all stats are courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA Math and are current as of April 7.
RELATED: Nikola Jokic Is Earning MVP Praise, But His Denver Nuggets Are Criminally Underappreciated
The “joel embiid shot chart 2021” is a shot chart that shows Joel Embiid’s shooting performance from the start of the season until now. The data was gathered by tracking every shot he took and how many points it generated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can LeBron win scoring title this year?
A: It is too early to tell. LeBron has not played a full game as of yet this season, and it would take some time for him to build up his rhythm in addition to getting accustomed with new teammates before he could see significant improvement on the court.
Has LeBron won scoring title?
A: Unfortunately, LeBron James has not won the scoring title in NBA history.
Who won the scoring title in 2022?
A: The team with the highest point total at the end of a season.
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