Embiid's fifth season with the 76ers was his best yet, as he ended the season amongst the top three players for the MVP race and he set plenty of career-highs. The center played and started in 51 games and averaged 31.1 minutes. Embiid finished the year with a career-best 28.5 points to go along with 10.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 steals. The 27-year-old managed to notch 36 double-doubles, as well as 59 games with double-digit scoring performances. In the playoffs, the former Kansas standout posted averages of 28.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals. One of Embiid's best performances of the season came against the Bulls on Feb. 19, where the center recorded a career-high 50 points, along with 17 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals. Another impressive game from the MVP candidate came on Feb. 17 against the Rockets, as Embiid flirted with a triple-double by finishing with 31 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Defensively, Embiid was an exceptional defender as he recorded 76 blocks and 61 steals in 61 total games. Embiid also set a career-best five steals against the Heat on Jan. 12. Overall, Embiid solidified his important role with the 76ers, as he led his team in points (28.5), rebounds (10.6) and blocks (1.4).

Embiid appeared and started in 51 regular season games for the 76ers, averaging 29.5 minutes per contest. The Kansas product posted averages of 23.0 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks, while hitting 47.7 percent of his field goal attempts. Embiid shot 33.1 percent -- up from 30.0 percent in 2018-19 -- and knocked down a career-best 80.7 percent of his free throws. On opening night against Boston, Embiid went for 15 points and 13 rebounds for his first of 38 double-doubles during the regular season. Versus Atlanta on Oct. 28, Embiid posted 36 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block in a two-point Sixers victory. On Dec. 5 against Washington, Embiid grabbed a season-high 21 rebounds -- a total he would match against Indiana on Aug. 1, also adding 41 points. Embiid went for a season and career-high 49 points in a win over the Hawks on Feb. 24. In 36 minutes, he also chipped in 14 rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block. In a win over Chicago on Feb. 9, Embiid swatted a season-high four shots in just 31 minutes. He registered a season-high eight assists in a Jan. 6 win over Oklahoma City, adding 18 points and nine boards in 33 minutes. At mid-season, Embiid was selected to his third consecutive NBA All-Star Game. In the Sixers' final game before the suspension of the season, Embiid went for 30 points and 14 rebounds in a Mar. 11 win over Detroit. When the season resumed in Orlando, Embiid appeared in seven of the Sixers' eight seeding games prior to the playoffs. In Round 1 against Boston, Embiid averaged 30.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks over the course of four games. In Game 2, Embiid posted a playoff-career-best 34 points, to go with 10 boards and three assists. At season's end, Embiid ranked 16th in the NBA in points per game, sixth in rebounds per game, 19th in blocks per game, 12th in total made free throws (351), eighth in usage rate (32.9%), and seventh in Player Efficiency Rating (25.8).

Embiid started and played in a career-high 64 games for the 76ers during the 2018-19 season, establishing career bests in points per game (27.5) and rebounds per game (13.6). That scoring rate was good for fourth in the league. The center also averaged 1.9 blocks per game, which was sixth in the NBA. Embiid scored a season-high 42 points as part of a 133-132 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 9. Less than two months later, he matched that scoring total in a 132-127 win over the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 2. Embiid set a new career high in assists with 13 against the Milwaukee Bucks on Apr. 4. He made his second straight All-Star game and scored 10 points in 23 minutes for Team Giannis. Embiid played in 11 playoff contests, averaging 20.2 points and 10.5 rebounds. He earned the NBA Player of the Month award for January. Following the season, Embiid was selected to the All-NBA Second Team and All-NBA Defensive Second Team.

Injuries held Embiid back for a long time after he was taken No. 3 overall in 2014, but the 2017-18 season felt like a turning point for the 23-year-old center. He played in 63 games and made his presence felt in a big way, averaging 22.9 points and 11.0 rebounds while helping the 76ers to the playoffs for the first time since 2012. There were plenty of big moments for the big man, including a career-best 46 points against the Lakers on Nov. 15 and a 20-rebound game (to go with 25 points) against Chicago on Mar. 19. Embiid recorded a season-high eight assists while scoring 28 points and grabbing 12 rebounds against Minnesota on Dec. 12, and he set a career mark with six three-pointers on Dec. 8. Unsurprisingly, all that got Embiid named to his first All-Star Game -- and he started, too. He went on to make his playoff debut after returning from an orbital bone fracture, scoring 23 points and grabbing seven rebounds in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against Miami. Embiid went on to record double-doubles in every subsequent playoff game that season, including a 31-point, 13-rebound, five-assist effort against Boston in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Kansas product earned his first All-NBA honors, getting named to the All-NBA Second Team and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week twice, too.

After foot surgeries held him out for what would have been his first two NBA seasons, Embiid was able to get on the court in 2016-17, and he regularly showed flashes of brilliance over the course of his 31 games. Embiid started each of those contests, posting nine double-doubles while averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.5 blocks -- leading the Sixers in points, rebounds and blocks per game. Had he qualified for the league lead, Embiid would have finished second only to Rudy Gobert in blocks per game. He set high-water marks with 33 points against Brooklyn on Dec. 18 and 14 rebounds on Jan. 11 versus the Knicks. Embiid blocked at least three shots 11 times, and he swatted five shots in a game twice. All that productivity landed him third in the voting for Rookie of the Year.