Doc Rivers Reveals Details About MVP Conversation With Joel Embiid

Last season when Joel Embiid was near the top of the MVP ladder, the Philadelphia 76ers center had a realistic shot at earning the title of being considered the

Last season when Joel Embiid was near the top of the MVP ladder, the Philadelphia 76ers center had a realistic shot at earning the title of being considered the NBA's Most Valuable Player. 

When the final voting was revealed, Embiid would find out he came up short. While Embiid placed second in front of Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry, the Sixers' big man lost out to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.

There is no denying that Jokic dominated in 2020-2021, and the award was well-deserved, but many believed that if Embiid had a healthier year, then he would've been the one to collect the accolade.

This year, Embiid is on a similar path. Once again, he's been in the MVP conversation throughout the whole season. And with just a handful of games left in the regular season, Embiid remains near the top of the NBA MVP ladder.

Last year, health was an issue as Embiid appeared in just 51 of 72 games. This season, that's not the case, as Embiid has played in 64 of 77 games and hasn't missed consecutive matchups outside of a battle with COVID-19, which kept him off the floor for nine-straight games.

Embiid will more than likely remain in the MVP conversation as the regular season winds down. And his head coach Doc Rivers wants to see his guy win the award. Before Saturday's game against the Charlotte Hornets, Embiid and Rivers engaged in a conversation regarding MVP, and the head coach revealed that Embiid really isn't focused on earning a personal title. 

Just Want to Win

After Saturday's game between the Sixers and the Charlotte Hornets, Rivers touted Embiid for being "great" in the dominant win. After spending 31 minutes on the court, Embiid collected a team-high of 29 points along with 14 rebounds and six assists.

"If we could've just caught a ball tonight, I counted three balls right between guys' hands, Joel could have had a big assist night," Rivers claimed. "Listen, I don't get on this, but I really believe he should be the MVP. 

"Tonight, before the game, I said, 'Hey man, just keep playing,' and he said, 'Coach, I just wanna win. I'm gonna let it come to me'. I almost wanna tell him to try and get 50 or whatever and win the scoring title, and he said, 'Only if it comes to me. That's the only way I want to win anything'. So, I thought that was a really cool answer. It also just shows where he's at as a player."

Embiid has publicly made it clear on many occasions that he prefers personal accolades to come naturally through him just being the best version of himself while helping his team win. It seems he also preaches the same message to his coach and teammates behind the scenes.

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