NBA Awards Rankings: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander surges up MVP leaderboard

The Philadelphia 76ers have lost four of their last six after a red-hot start to the season, with their latest loss coming in part due to Joel Embiid's first absence of the season. Still, it's hardly time to panic. A tough niche in the schedule bears the bulk of the blame, and Embiid continues to produce at a gaudy level when he's on the court.

Embiid's shooting splits have been down relative to recent years (.497/.319/.877) but he's due to positive regression soon. He's leading the NBA in scoring once again at 31.9 points per game to go along with 11.1 rebounds and a career-high 6.1 assists. He still has the occasional turnover woe (3.7 per game), but Embiid has made noticeable strides as a passer in Nick Nurse's offense. The Sixers are actively cutting and Embiid is reading double teams better than ever.

The Sixers rank fourth in points per 100 possessions. Tyrese Maxey has earned his own fringe MVP buzz, but it's impossible to watch Philadelphia and glean anything other than the simple fact that Embiid is the sun around which the Sixers orbit. His two-man actions with Maxey are destroying defenses and he's a one-man scheme buster, demanding relentless attention in the paint and cracking fissures in the opposing defense.

On top of the offensive production, Embiid is playing his best defense in years. He's averaging 1.0 steals and 1.8 blocks, aggressively blanketing the paint and effectively navigating screen actions to put his massive frame in the opposition's way. The Sixers have a lot of quick hands around him, but Embiid empowers the likes of Robert Covington, De'Anthony Melton, and Jaden Springer to rack up deflections.