From one great big man to another. Former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Shaquille O'Neal wants everyone to know that in his eyes, Denver Nuggets do-it-all center Nikola Jokic is the best at his position in the NBA, notwithstanding the fact that Joel Embiid has just been named the 2022-23 NBA regular season MVP.

Nikola Jokic is the best center in the game. You heard it from me,ā€ Shaq said during the halftime break of Sunday night's matchup between the Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns.

Whichever side you are on in the Nikola Jokic vs Joel Embiid debate, it is undeniable that the Nuggets center is having a terrific season ā€” again. While he was not able to win the MVP award for the third time in a row, Jokic is clearly the most important piece of a Nuggets team that entered Sunday just two wins away from barging into the Western Conference Finals.

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Nuggets' Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray (smiling or looking happy) at an upset Lakers' LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Rachel Strand Ā·

76ers Joel Embiid on the bench from game one or game two of playoff series vs. New York Knicks with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart smiling or laughing.

Drew Maresca Ā·

76ers' Joel Embiid in front of a picture of Embiid at the postgame podium in sunglasses

Sam DiGiovanni Ā·

Between Jokic and Embiid, it's also the former who is having a more efficient and productive showing in the playoffs. So far, Embiid is averaging 23.2 points on just 45.2 percent shooting from the field, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. Nikola Jokic, on the other hand, started Sunday putting up 28.0 points per outing on 50.3 percent shooting from the floor, 14.3 rebounds, and 9.0 assists.

So good is Jokic in the second round that he's made Suns center Deandre Ayton look consistently helpless in even slowing him down. The absence of a new MVP trophy doesn't change the fact that Nikola Jokic remains, at the very least, among not just the best centers in the league, but one of the greatest players of his generation.