Joel Embiid named All-Star starter for 5th straight season, is he the best in the world right now?

Joel Embiid.

You’ve heard the name. He’s averaged 43 points in his last five games, he’s debatably the best basketball player in the world right now, and now he’ll be starting in Cleveland for his fifth-straight All-Star appearance.

There’s usually lots of controversy when it comes it to All-Star voting, there’s not arguing Embiid deserved this honor. Speaking of controversy, here’s the starters for both the Eastern and Western Conference:

The Eastern Conference’s Player of the Month for December, Embiid has averaged 31.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists since returning in late November from a bad case of COVID-19. There are many more numbers that show his dominance, but it’s sufficient to say he’s again a deserving All-Star starter and again looks on track for heavy MVP consideration when the season is over. 

“I’m not surprised anymore with what Joel does, because I’ve gotten used to it,” Furkan Korkmaz said last week. “He does something every game; he’s getting some records every day. I got used to it. It’s not surprising. I think we are all lucky to have Joel and to watch him live, because he’s so special. He’s got something special.”

So, is he the best player in the world right now? In my personal opinion, yes. Yes he is.