Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been playing so well lately that he's being considered the frontrunner for MVP for perhaps the first time this season.
Scoring at least 30 points in each of his last nine games, the six-time All-Star has been averaging 36.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game on 62.7 percent shooting from the field and 45.8 percent from 3-point range in that stretch.
Embiid has also scored at least 30 points on 55 percent shooting from the field in each of his last seven games, tying Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (2012-13) for the longest such streak in NBA history, per StatMuse's Justin Kubatko. He tallied 31 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks on 10-15 (67.7 percent) shooting from the field in his last game, a 141-121 blowout victory over the Indiana Pacers.
Joel Embiid last night:
✅ 31 PTS
✅ 7 REB
✅ 7 AST
✅ 2 BLK
✅ 10-15 FGEmbiid has scored at least 30 points on 55% shooting from the field in each of his last seven games, tying LeBron James (2012-13) for the longest such streak in NBA history.
More: https://t.co/f8Sfx1RlfS
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) March 19, 2023
In those days, LeBron was fresh off of his first NBA championship, and reclaiming his throne as the best player the NBA. Already dominant as a playmaker and driver, his game also became a model for efficient, 3-level scoring, James averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game in the 2012-13 season.
For the 2022-23 season, Embiid is averaging 33.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game. He's also shooting 54.6 percent from the field, though shooting just 35.5 percent from 3.
With the Sixers at 48-22, second in the Eastern Conference, Embiid has once again steered the Sixers into playoff contention. As he and 10-time All-Star James Harden continue to build their chemistry, Philadelphia will hope the historical play of their franchise player will lead them all the way to an NBA championship.
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