After falling short in the MVP race last season, Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid is making a name for himself yet again to win the award. The Sixers' big man has been on a tear as of late and may have just had his best performance of the season, if not his whole career.
In a 123-110 win over the Orlando Magic, Embiid tied his career-high with 50 points, doing so in just 27 minutes. He shot 17-23 from the field and added 12 rebounds and 3 blocks to his stat line. No one in the shot-clock era has scored 50 points in less time than Embiid did. It was an unbelievable performance for the big man.
Embiid's monster night put his name among NBA legends. His name entered the Sixers history books alongside Wilt Chamberlain. Head coach Doc Rivers compared his performance to the play style of Dominique Wilkins. Embiid himself said that he can emulate several NBA legends with his game.
Joel Embiid: "I said me because at times whenever I want, I'm able to be Shaq. And whenever I want, I'm also able to be Dirk or Kobe or MJ, guards really. Shooting off the dribble, pull-ups or ball-handling, just a combination of everything offensively."
"So, I was OK tonight." pic.twitter.com/ivJriymC91
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) January 20, 2022
Embiid's consistent dominance will put him in the MVP conversation but Philly's decent-at-best record will do him a disservice. The Sixers are full of uncertainty heading into the trade deadline. The Ben Simmons rumors just keep coming and many of them include Tobias Harris.
Regardless of how the Sixers' roster looks after the trade deadline, Embiid will still be dominating. In 33 games this season, he is averaging 28.0 points, 10.6 rebounds and a career-high 4.2 assists per game. Philadelphia is 23-11 in the games he has played this season.
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