Joel Embiid has been incredible this season. He has led the Philadelphia 76ers to the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a 39-19 record. He is averaging an impressive 30.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists on 64.0% true shooting. Those are certainly MVP stats, and he's in the midst of a heated race with other stars such as Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry.
Curry just expressed his belief in himself as the rightful MVP winner, and now Embiid has addressed the race in an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium:
76ers star Joel Embiid sits down with @Stadium: “There’s no doubt (I’m MVP). I’ve been dominant all season. I’m not going to stop.” On motivation from feeling disrespected and frustrated last season, Shaq’s criticism “opened my eyes to actually realize that I can be that guy.” pic.twitter.com/Ud3O2APOkV
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 22, 2021
Joel Embiid clearly sees himself as the MVP despite only appearing in 40 of 58 games so far, and his confidence remains exactly where every fan expects it to be. The big man is known for his outspoken confidence. Before becoming an MVP-caliber center, Embiid was more known for his off-the-court antics. He loved to tweet and talk trash, but one would be hard-pressed to argue he doesn't back it up. This has easily been the best season of Embiid's career.
Philly will need Embiid to continue his historic production well into the playoffs in order to compete for a championship. The Sixers are in the best spot they have been in to win a championship since the 2001 season, where they were led by Allen Iverson. They have an elite defense with Embiid and Ben Simmons, and they have an offense predicated on Embiid in the post and surrounding him with shooters. Players like Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, and Danny Green have all stepped up this season, but in the end, the weight of championship contention will fall squarely on Joel Embiid's shoulders.
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