Former Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl explained why he would take Nuggets center Nikola Jokic over Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid for the league's Most Valuable Player award.
“To me, I don't want to badmouth him because I think he's really, really good,” said George Karl, via a Sunday tweet from SiriusXM NBA Radio. “Philadelphia, when he was a young player, he kept telling me he's going to be the best guy to ever play the game. I see him moving in that direction, but he takes too many possessions off.”
Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who called Joel Embiid a “walking NBA cheat code” following a 20-point Sixers win over the Pacers on Saturday, had a strong NBA MVP take of his own for Embiid over Nikola Jokic.
“(Joel Embiid) is probably the MVP with what their team is doing and how he's elevated his game,” said Carlisle. “He's as difficult a guy to game plan for as there is… Giannis is crazy ridiculous. Jokic is, same, and this guy may be even more difficult.”
Nikola Jokic, a five-time NBA All-Star who earned the league's MVP two years in a row after dominant seasons in Denver, is nearly averaging a triple-double in his eighth season in the NBA. The 28-year-old center is putting up 24.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game in 63 games played and started for the Nuggets. He earned 24 points, eight rebounds and nine assists as the Sixers took a 126-119 win over the Nuggets in Denver's lone matchup against Philadelphia this season.
Embiid, a six-time All-Star for Philadelphia, is averaging 33.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in 57 games played and started. The former first-round draft pick put up 47 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in January at the Wells Fargo Center, making 58.1% of his field goals and seven of his ten free throw attempts.
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