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The final stretch of the season is underway, and the Philadelphia 76ers are in a position to make the playoffs once again. They are currently one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference, and are expected to get better after the moves they have made during the trade deadline.
All thanks in major part to All-Star center, Joel Embiid.
The third-year veteran and arguably the Sixers' best player, Embiid has made constant improvements every year. This season, he's putting up 27.3 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. Only two other players in NBA history was able to accomplish such stat line; Shaquille O'Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The Sixers have also been bad on both ends of the floor. In the seven games he missed this season, Philly went 2-5, including a 129-95 beatdown at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers last December 30.
Although Philly is loaded with talent, especially with Tobias Harris now on board, the team's success is heavily dependent on Embiid's production. Without him, it is safe to say that the Sixers wouldn't be where they are now.
To simply put it, Embiid is having an MVP type of season, but nobody seems to be talking about it.
Why? Why is he being left out in the discussions for one of the most prestigious league awards this season?
Well, there are three major reasons; the eye test, the statistics, and their overall impact to the their respective teams.
As of the moment, the main protagonists for the coveted league MVP award are Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, Oklahoma City Thunder's Paul George, and Houston Rockets' James Harden. While Embiid is having a great year, the aforementioned players are having a phenomenal one.
But let's do a head-to-head comparison and see how JoJo fairs with the likely winners of this year's league MVP.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo beats Embiid's case for MVP in all three of the categories mentioned above. What we're seeing from The Greek Freak right now is a testament to his claim of becoming the best player not only in his team, but in the league. He's slowly closing the gap between him and both LeBron James and Kevin Durant this season. He's an unstoppable scorer, a great rebounder, and a solid defender; not to mention he's also been a decent playmaker for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Giannis is averaging 27.2 points, 12.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks. He's also shooting a whopping 58 percent from the field. Antetokounmpo is the main reason why the Bucks own the best record in the Eastern Conference at the moment. From just a playoff team last season, Milwaukee is now one of the favorites to win the title this year.
Despite Embiid's best efforts, he's certainly not a better player than Giannis this season, and that's not a knock on him whatsoever. It's just that Giannis has taken a major leap this season, and it's something that JoJo hasn't done yet.
Paul George
George's production this season is something that we haven't seen from him since his days with the Indiana Pacers. He have already shrugged off last year's struggles and is having a career year in the Western Conference, especially on the defensive end.
He's putting up 28.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game for the Oklahoma City Thunder. What's more impressive is that he's posting this numbers while teammate Russell Westbrook is averaging a triple-double.
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Not even Kevin Durant was able to do that.
George is now the leader for OKC, and Westbrook taking a back seat for him has resulted in them becoming one of the title contenders in the West. If we put Embiid in a head-to-head comparison with George, he might have a slight edge in stats, but he's still certainly not in the same level as PG right now.
James Harden
Harden's streak of games with at least 30 points recently ended, but that was nothing short of spectacular. He was an unstoppable offensive force during that run, and a cervical strain which he suffered in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers last week prevented him from extending the said feat.
The reigning MVP wants to make it two in a row, He's leading the league in scoring by a mile, putting up 36.3 points per game to go along with 6.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists. However, he also has the tendency to jack up a ton of shots eventhough he's not making them. Harden has at least five games this season with at least 10 or more 3-point attempts without a make.
This, plus injuries to their key players are some of the reasons why the Houston Rockets' record took a major hit this season. They have won 35 out of 60 games so far, and with 22 games left, they are highly unlikely to match last year's 62 wins.
Statistically, Embiid is a far more efficient and consistent player than Harden, but as previously mentioned, what we've seen from the All-Star guard this season is something that was way too impressive, and that alone makes him a candidate to win MVP for the second straight year, although it's unlikely.
Embiid may have lost all the head-to-head comparisons here, but make no mistake about it. He's one of the best players in the league, with his prime years still ahead of him. However, let's be honest, he shouldn't be in the MVP discussions this season. Antetokounmpo, George, and Harden are far more deserving candidates than him.
In addition, there are other players out there who are arguably better than Embiid, but not in the MVP talks as well. For example, Toronto Raptors' Kawhi Leonard, Boston Celtics' Kyrie Irving, Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant, and even Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic to some extent.
In short, we need to see more from Embiid. He needs to have a break out year ala Shaq or Tim Duncan for him to be considered as an MVP-type player. Yes his stats this season shows that he's a dominant force on both ends of the floor, but we need to see more.
We want Embiid to do more.
And we believe he will be able to do more in the coming years.
Let the Sixers' catchphrase remind you to “Trust the Process.”
