The debate about who wins the 2022 NBA MVP award will come down to the wire, but the candidates are clear this late in the 2021-22 season.
The top candidates are Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. The three can dominate a game in so many ways that it makes for an entertaining conversation.
Embiid has been unstoppable all season. He is averaging 29.8 points and 11.3 rebounds along with 4.3 assists. He took his game to another level to begin the season while the Sixers dealt with the Ben Simmons saga. His play had the Sixers in third place in the Eastern Conference before the team acquired James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets.
Harden’s former teammate, Kevin Durant, has picked his MVP award winner, per Nets Wire:
“If I had to take a guess, I will go, it’s between Joel Embiid, DeMar DeRozan, Ja Morant for me, those are my top three,” Durant said. “And I’ll probably go Joel. It’s, I mean (Nikola) Jokic, you could throw Jokic in there, but I’ll probably go Joel. I mean there’s so many players playing at a high level man, so like I said the other day, league’s in a great place.”
Embiid is tied for second in the league in scoring with Antetokounmpo. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is averaging 30 points to lead the league. If Embiid can overtake James, he will be the first center to lead the league in scoring since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[listicle id=61583]
[lawrence-related id=61589,61586,61580]