Nets' Steve Nash Praises Sixers Star Joel Embiid After Dominant Performance

Wednesday would be a battle between two of the Eastern Conference's best teams, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets, with first-place hanging in the balance. One player all eyes would be on is Joel Embiid, who has strung together multiple dominant performances since returning to the lineup from a knee injury. 

Brooklyn's head coach Steve Nash would field questions on the All-Star center and would not be shy about how great he has been for the Sixers this season. 

During his pregame media availability, Nash would give his thoughts on Embiid's game and what has led to his MVP-level season. 

"Consistency and shotmaking, he's been incredible. Incredibly accurate scoring the ball. We know what a dominant physical presence he is but he's been really in the mid-range, very capable from three as well. I think his accuracy and shotmaking ability has taken another step, and to do so you have to be very consistent, and he's done that," Nash said. 

Embiid would go on to score a game-high 39 points in just 33 minutes of action. After this impressive showing, Nash would continue to praise the work he's done to be an elite player this season. 

"It's a testament to how good of a player he is. I thought we were doing a pretty good job on him then you look up and he's got 30 in like in 22 minutes. I thought (DeAndre Jordan) was really good, did a really good job, and stuck with the game plan and had some good one-on-one possessions with him, but that's a testament and that's why (Joel Embiid) is an MVP candidate," said Nash. 

These two teams could potentially meet later down the road, with much larger stakes on the line. If that does happen, it is clear that Nash is more than aware of how special and dominant Embiid has been for the Sixers this season.  

Kevin McCormick covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN and Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinMcCNBA.