Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid is having another monster campaign and at the moment, looks to be in line to finally win his first NBA MVP Award after Nikola Jokic edged him out in 2021-22. It also appears Damian Lillard is completely behind the Sixers big man for capturing the honors at the season's end.
In a recent interview on the Dan Patrick Show, Dame explained why Embiid must take home MVP instead of finishing as a runner-up for the third straight year.
“I think because he’s been the most dominant player all season long, his team is winning. I feel like he could have won it one of the last years, but I think Jokic won it both times. I just think because he’s been, to me, the most dominant player, and he’s been carrying his team, you can’t continue to give it to a guy who’s won it twice in a row. Especially, when you have a guy like him who’s performing at the same level or even higher.”
"Joel Embiid"
–@Dame_Lillard tells us why @JoelEmbiid is his pick for #NBA MVP this season #Sixers
Dame's full appearance: https://t.co/0x8DBmwXWr pic.twitter.com/68eZA4O5f7
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) March 31, 2023
Lillard has a valid point. While three-peats for MVP have happened before when Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, and Bill Russell did so back in the day, it's hard to give the award to The Joker when Joel Embiid is truly the most dominant player in the Association.
Sure, there are important pieces around him on this Sixers roster like James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, but Embiid is the one who's been carrying Philly all year long.
Embiid leads the NBA in scoring with 33 points while grabbing 10.2 rebounds and dishing out 4.1 dimes. While Jokic does impact the game more in several ways for Denver, he's literally averaging 5.1 points fewer per contest.
It's Embiid's time to lift MVP.
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