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A good reason why Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is among the MVP candidates this year is that amazing enough to back up the fact that he's oozing with confidence. He knows that he's way better than most of the big men in this league, and that he can keep up with the small ones too.
Per Derek Bodner of The Athletic, Embiid had a confident reply on what he thinks about opposing teams fielding small-ball lineups when he's on the floor.
“I'm pretty good guarding the perimeter. I'm better than 90% of the bigs, and I'm better than any bigs when I really try. So, I don't have any problems, but if you're gonna do that, that means you're gonna give up a lot on the offensive side.”
Embiid, on defending 5-out lineups: "I'm pretty good guarding the perimeter. I'm better than 90% of the bigs, and I'm better than any bigs when I really try. So, I don't have any problems, but if you're gonna do that, that means you're gonna give up a lot on the offensive side."
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) May 6, 2021
Some may read Embiid's confidence as arrogance. But for diehard Sixers fans who have become familiar with his ways, this is just the way the Cameroonian rolls. And this may even be the secret to his success.
There's a lot of truth in his statement. In this day and age where most big men have mixed brute and finesse into their game, Embiid seems to have taken the edge.
His strength and size alone have caused troubles for opposing teams. If they don't double team, then it's an easy two points. But if they do, Embiid has been showing off his patience this season. He no longer panics when the defense collapses on him.
Embiid's self-assurance has made him one of the best in the league. Given the Sixers' stellar season, there's no question that this has also trickled down onto his teammates.
