Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is one of the best players in the league regardless of position and he is squarely in the MVP conversation right now. As the Sixers took on the Chicago Bulls on Friday without Ben Simmons, the big fella needed to rise up and be great again.
Embiid poured in 50 points on 17-for-26 shooting along with 17 rebounds and he dished out five assists to lift the Sixers to a 112-105 win over Chicago. He was absolutely dominant all night long and he made every single play down the stretch to ensure Philadelphia got this win.
“It just shows how the game has slowed down for me,” said Embiid. “The only difference from this year and last year, it’s not so much about coaching, it’s more about me being willing to just dominate every single minute that I’m on the floor.”
Embiid was pushed early by young Bulls big man Wendell Carter Jr. as he scored Chicago’s first eight points. He showed no fear and he went right at Embiid all night long and his play early seemed to trigger the big fella a little bit.
“What got me even more going, I was pissed off that Carter, Wendell had a quick 8-10 points and I take pride in my defense,” he explained. “I just needed to play better defense and also go on the other end and get him in foul trouble or just score and just will the team and that’s what we did as a group.”
Either way, this looks like this is a much different Embiid in every way possible. The Sixers have put better pieces around him thanks to president Daryl Morey bringing in more shooting and that has allowed him more space to operate. Philadelphia has a lot going for them this season compared to last year.
“Last year, I was going through a rough time,” he explained. “It was just not there and also the moves that Daryl made, adding all that shooting, is also helping a lot. Like I said it’s not so much about coaching, it’s just about me just turning a corner and just being willing to not dominate every second on defense and an offense.”
Embiid is continuing to put his stamp on the Sixers as a franchise and he is continuing his candidacy for MVP this season. The things that he is doing on a night-to-night basis are becoming, really, otherworldly and he is clearly on a mission to show everybody that he is the best in the game.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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