After finishing in second place behind Nikola Jokic for the 2021-22 NBA regular season MVP, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is back with a vengeance. Through the All-Star break, the Sixers center is getting legitimate buzz as this season's MVP, and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell thinks he deserves even more.
The NBA's biggest stars got together this past weekend in Salt Lake City for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. It was a fun weekend full of games, partying, and even surprises in the bone-chilling 25-35 degree weather. All-Star Media Day on Saturday gave reporters from around the world an opportunity to speak with the league's best personalities and get a different perspective on the game.
Mitchell was asked about his thoughts on the current race for 2023 Most Valuable Player and if he believed he was in the conversation.
“Obviously, it's something that I obviously want to win the award, for sure,” Mitchell said. “But I can't lie. I don't know if y'all have been watching what Jokic has been doing. It's f***ing outrageous to be honest. I don't know mow many people have won it three times in a row, but I definitely feel like I'm in that conversation as well, but he's otherworldly right now and he's been doing it at such a [high] level.”
Through 51 games, Nikola Jokic is putting up 24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 10.1 assists per game on an absurd 63.2 percent shooting from the field and 39.1 percent from 3-point range.
Donovan Mitchell was also able to explain why he believed Sixers star Joel Embiid should be a strong candidate for MVP this season.
“I think Joel needs to be highly regarded as well. I think he gets highly disrespected, to me. He's a guy that consistently, every night, puts on for his group and even in the past year, with the whole Ben situation, not knowing who was gonna be on the floor and he continuously carried this team.”
In 45 appearances for the Sixers this season, Joel Embiid is averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.5 blocks on 52.7 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from deep.
“I think he deserves a lot of respect in that race as well. If I had to choose, you look at what Jokic and Joel are doing as a tandem, I think definitely those two definitely deserve their respect.”
After publicly campaigning for himself to win the MVP last year and losing, Joel Embiid appears to have taken a backseat on the promotional side. Instead, he's staying locked in and hoping his game will do all the talking to voters.
“I think you saw it with LeBron a few years ago,” Mitchell said. “I think Giannis. We get bored with success, we wanna change it up. Sometimes it just remains that same and i think he's a guy that's definitely up there. You look at Jayson Tatum, who's having a phenomenal year. Luka, he's having a phenomenal year, Giannis, Joel.”
Most teams are down to their final 21-23 regular-season games. Through the All-Star break, the Denver Nuggets have a 41-18 regular season. They sit five games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies, who are also three games ahead of third-place Sacramento.
The Sixers (38-19) sit in third place behind only the Boston Celtics (42-17) and Milwaukee Bucks (41-17) in the Eastern Conference. It should be a fun race to the finish.
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