Joel Embiid is putting up an incredible season. Though the race was really tight right until a few weeks ago, it seems Embiid has taken a clear advantage over Nikola Jokic. In all fairness, Embiid‘s numbers and performance speak for themselves. He has been dominant throughout the year and has helped the Sixers win some tough battles.
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Now, close to the end of the season, it seems the 7ft Philadelphia star is not too happy with all the snubs in his career. In fact, he doesn’t seem too supportive of the reigning MVP either. Nikola Jokic has won the last two MVP awards and was a frontrunner this year too.
Amid the recent controversy where Kendrick Perkins claimed Jokic won because of racial bias, Embiid’s current comments show that he doesn’t agree with Jokic’s most valuable trophies either.
Joel Embiid subtly attacks Nikola Jokic
In an exclusive sit down with The Athletics’ Shams Charania, Joel discussed the MVP award in detail. He opened up about chasing the accolade until the start of this season when he instead took the more organic route. He even told Jayson Tatum to not let the chase for MVP govern his play, he told the Celtics star that it would happen only naturally.
In his conversation with Shams, Joel also addressed the pressure that has been put on him again and again. According to the Sixers’ star center, there are other MVPs who aren’t criticized for letting their team down or not winning any team trophies. But his statements clearly reflect that his was aiming for Nikola Jokic with his statements.
Embiid: “I’m not a two-time MVP. I’ve never made 1st-Team All NBA, I’ve never won anything, so why is there pressure on me to do something when there are guys that have won a bunch of MVPs and haven’t done anything either?”
Jokic seems to be at the receiving end of Joel’s diss. But are Embiid’s comments justified? Considering how the MVP award is now solely seen as a regular season trophy, maybe the Philadelphia star is right to call out Jokic.
Philadelphia 76ers had a better regular season record than the Nuggets
In all fairness, Embiid has a point. The sixers, for the last two seasons, had a better record than the Nuggets. Despite this, the MVP award was given to Nikola Jokic on both occasions. In fact, last year’s MVP was an even bigger snub for Jokic because Jokic’s Denver was 6th seed in the West while Sixers were 3rd.
In the context of post-seasons, however, Nuggets have fared better in the last four years. The year before his first MVP, the Joker carried Denver to Western Conference Finals. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid and Philadelphia missed the playoffs entirely. However, Denver’s absence from the playoffs last season certainly adds to Joel’s argument. In any case, the two will face off tonight. Nikola will likely come out to prove Embiid wrong. It’s going to be an interesting game to say the least.
