Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers has no doubt in his mind that Joel Embiid should win the MVP award this 2021-22 season. After all, while a lot of people try to push Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo to the top of the list, they haven't been as dominant as the Cameroonian center.

Embiid delivered that statement as well, albeit through his play and not words. He exploded for 41 points on Saturday, which locks him up for the scoring title. It is worth nothing that through the month of March and the first half of April, he has recorded 12 30-point games (four of which were 40-point outings).

That kind dominance is what Rivers is emphasizing to highlight that the MVP race is not even close. For him, Embiid has shown enough why he deserves the highest individual honor in the NBA more than the other contenders.

“I think Joel has campaigned enough with his play. I don’t think people realize how hard it is for a center to lead the league in scoring,” Rivers said ahead of their Sunday showdown with the Detroit Pistons, per Sixers reporter Lauren Rosen. “He’s done it the right way. He’s made the right passes… and still leads us in scoring. He’s dominant.”

Doc Rivers and his Sixers are finishing the season in the Top 4 of the Eastern Conference, and that is primarily because of Joel Embiid. Before the team traded for James Harden and while Ben Simmons was trying to force his way out, JoJo was carrying the team alone.

Embiid definitely has the narrative aspect, and the fact that he won the scoring title should only boost his MVP chances even more. He is the first center since Shaquille O'Neal in 1999-2000 to be the scoring champion–with guards like Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson and forwards like Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady dominating the list over the past two decades.

Sure enough, Giannis and Jokic have their own narratives as well, and they also have the numbers and records to back it up. The Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets and Sixers have nearly similar win-loss records, so the MVP voting will come down on how the voters define MVP.