Every single player improved their positioning from last year. There's a good argument that all five rankings are fair, though Embiid and Edgecombe, in particular, have a lot of available ceiling to work toward. Maxey and Brown both flashed MVP-level skill last year, while LeBron could easily move up several spots over similarly aged Hall of Fames like Kevin Durant and Steph Curry.
Embiid remains the biggest question mark due to his injury history, which obviously determined his relatively low ranking. The former MVP remains a top 10 player when he's on the court, and he's still young enough that the heights of his prime are not out of reach.
More importantly, the Sixers roster depth means he won't have to be on the court throughout the season for Philly to get a high seed in the east. The Sixers can manage Embiid's load carefully to ensure he reaches the playoffs healthy, where his impact will be the most significant.
Surprisingly, the Sixers did achieve this feat of all five in ESPN's top 100 once before, ahead of the 2019-20 season. That team, with Embiid at 8th, Ben Simmons at 13th, Al Horford at 45th, Tobias Harris at 48th, and Josh Richardson at 71 did play to a respectable 43-30 record, but that mark was underwhelming for preseason expectations and only landed them as the 6th seed in the east. They were eliminated handily in the opening round by the Boston Celtics.
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