Former NBA Star on MVP Debate: ‘It’s Joel Embiid’s Turn’

Will 2023 finally be the year Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid wins the MVP award? Former NBA star big man DeMarcus Cousins believes it should be.

During a recent sit-down with Showtime’s Rachel Nichols, Cousins dished his thoughts on the often-debated topic of the NBA MVP award, which once again includes the trio of bigs Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Embiid.

When Nichols threw out the idea of the award being a two-man race between Giannis and Jokic, Cousins didn’t pick either prospect, favoring Embiid instead.

“I think its Big Jo’s turn,” said the four-time All-Star. “I think the other two guys have had theirs. Let’s reward the big fella.”

Joel Embiid has been picking up steam in the MVP discussion - and now he's @BoogieCousin's pick to win over Jokic & Giannis. Meanwhile, I'm still just trying to get some awards reform around here...other leagues distinguish between best player vs best season. The NBA should too. pic.twitter.com/Ugg3GuSWPr
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) March 16, 2023

Over the last two seasons, Embiid was considered the NBA’s runner-up for the Most Valuable Player award. Both times, he lost out to Jokic. At this point, Jokic has two MVP nods, as does Giannis.

If Embiid can take home the hardware this season, it would be the first major award earned in his career.

“If it’s just about the numbers and the season, it still leans towards Jo,” Cousins explained. “He’s leading the league in scoring. He’s dominating at an all-time high. Give the big fella his flowers. He deserves it. He really deserves it, and I’m not taking away anything from the other two guys. They’ve received their flowers. Not to say they won’t get more in the future, but as of right now, Big Jo deserves his flowers.”

This year, Embiid is leading the league in scoring for the second-straight season while averaging a career-high of 33 points per game. As he dominates in the scoring department, Embiid is also shooting efficiently, averaging a career-high of 55 percent from the field.

Embiid’s offense often shines bright as he leads the league in scoring, but his defense stands out as well. Along with coming down with ten rebounds per game and blocking two shots per game, Embiid holds a lot of value on the defensive end that doesn’t show up in the numbers.

The MVP race will be a tight one until the end, but Embiid is seemingly becoming the favorite as the season winds down.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.