Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid is off to a terrific start to the 2020-21 season averaging 26.4 points and 11.3 rebounds and he has also been a terror on the defensive end of the floor. All of those factors make him an early MVP candidate to begin the season.
Embiid is coming off a ridiculous performance of 42 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday’s win over the Boston Celtics at home and he was dominant on both ends of the floor. He was so explosive that Boston guard Marcus Smart accused Embiid of flopping to the foul line, which Embiid laughed at.
Embiid has done a terrific job of scoring in the post, working in pick-and-rolls, he has been knocking down the jumpers, and he has worked well in double teams. Combine that with his defensive work and it’s no secret why he is receiving so much praise.
“He’s for sure MVP caliber,” laughed Tobias Harris. “Night after night, he controls the game, controls the paint, more than anything is defensively. He’s just a force for us. His activity in pick-and-rolls, his presence out there is huge. I think, for sure he’s putting on an MVP year.”
Right now, the Sixers are the top seed in the Eastern Conference so that plays a factor in his MVP argument right now. Team success is a big reason why players win these individual awards and that is something that Harris believes will help Embiid win the award as the season goes on. Both he and the team will have to keep pushing forward.
“One of the biggest things is that we continue to sustain it game after game and we progress,” Harris added. “Even himself, continuing to progress throughout this year, but I’m happy for him. This is the work he’s put in and when you win and are successful as a team, you get that type of notoriety for sure.”
When it comes to Embiid and the MVP award, he has to continue to dominate while the Sixers continue to win basketball games. This is only so early in the season and there are still a few months to go so he still has a lot of work to do in order to build a serious case.
https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=ycCYYEjKE2-1118010-7498&autoplay=on&V=2&format=json
[lawrence-related id=41609,41606,41575]