Joel Embiid Has Heavy Praise for Nikola Jokic

Last season, many expected the NBA's Most Valuable Player to be a big man. As Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic topped the MVP leaderboard all season long, one of them was bound to take home the hardware.

Eventually, it was revealed that Jokic was the 20202-2021 NBA MVP, with Embiid becoming the runner-up for the first time in his career.

Once again, the two bigs are dominating the NBA and in a tight race to become the league's Most Valuable Player.

Embiid leveled up his production this year and has been healthier than ever. With 52 games played, he surpassed last year's total. During the 52 games he appeared in this season, Embiid put up 29 points per game while shooting 39-percent from three and coming down with 11 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, Jokic is posting similar stats like last season. In 58 games, the Nuggets' big man has put up 25 points per game while draining 57-percent of his shots from the field. He's also averaged 13 rebounds per game and knocked down 36-percent of his threes.

While Embiid certainly wants to beat out the defending MVP to win the award for himself, the Sixers' star big man recently sent a ton of praise in Jokic's direction as he respects the competition.

Embiid Praises Jokic

"He's an amazing player," said Embiid earlier this week. "He's a monster. I saw what he was able to do [on Sunday]. I was watching the game, actually, I'm always watching every game, but he's a monster. What he's able to do on the basketball floor is crazy. From big man to big man, I'm happy that when you look at who's dominating the league, and really who the best players are, you got really all big men. Whether it's Giannis, me, Jokic, KD's not a big, but he's 7-feet, and it's also foreign guys. Foreign guys have really taken over. Luka, and it's great for us."

When the 2021-2022 regular season ends, Embiid and Jokic will likely be near the top of the MVP voting once again. As long as Embiid remains healthy while maintaining the same level of play, his chances of finally snagging the award are high. However, Embiid understands that the battle for Most Valuable isn't easy, as Jokic has continued to dominate all season long.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.