76ers’ Joel Embiid Earns Another MVP Vote From ESPN Analyst
After the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics in a tight matchup at home last week, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers declared the MVP race over. As Sixers center Joel Embiid scored 52 points in his second-to-last game of the regular season, Rivers believed that performance was the icing for Embiid’s MVP campaign.
You couldn’t guarantee that would be the case. While Embiid’s had strong seasonal performances over the last two years, which helped him earn a spot in the MVP race, he lost out to Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic both times.
With Jokic in the conversation once again this season, many believed that a three-peat could be in the works. Lately, though, Embiid’s received a lot of love from MVP voters. And former player and ESPN analyst Jalen Rose is one of the latest voters to endorse Joel Embiid as the NBA MVP publicly.
“For me, the 2023 MVP race came down to the last minute of the last day. Three spectacular candidates and Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Each had spectacular seasons in their own right. But without further ado, my choice is Joel Embiid. I think he was the most complete and most dominant in every phase. Blocking shots, changing shots, and being an anchor defensively, but also offensively, just dominating in the paint. Turning over both shoulders in the post, knocking down shots mid-range, making threes, making free throws. Joel Embiid with three 50-point games, including how he closed it out against the Celtics and how he dominated Jokic one-on-one… Joel Embiid got my vote.”
Embiid certainly has the numbers to back up his case. In 66 games, the big man averaged a league-leading 33 points while shooting a career-high 55 percent from the field.
He also came down with ten rebounds per game while averaging four assists, one steal, and two blocks. Offensively, Embiid was one of the league’s most dominant scorers. Defensively, he made a significant impact on his team, especially down the stretch of games.
The voting isn’t finalized, but with a lot of voters going public with their picks, Embiid seems to be the early frontrunner so far.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
