PHILADELPHIA — After missing time early in the season and dealing with the absences of James Harden and Tyrese Maxey for extended stretches, it appeared Joel Embiid might be on the outside looking in of the 2023 NBA MVP race. But after averaging 35.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists in December leading Philadelphia to a tie for the second seed in the Eastern Conference, Embiid is right back in the thick of that race.
In a Friday episode of the Locked On Sixers podcast, hosts Devon Givens and Keith Pompey explored why Embiid is a strong candidate to win the award, and why he may be discounted.
Because Embiid, who has finished second to Nikola Jokic each of the past two years, is a force of nature physically and an incredible athlete, Pompey said fans and media voters discount him because they expect more.
“They look at him as though he’s not doing enough, even though he’s dominating,” Pompey said. “We look at him and expect more, even though he’s playing a certain style or way.”
Embiid has had to adapt in his first full season with Harden, and carries as big a load on both ends of the floor as anyone in the NBA. Couple that with the fact that the Sixers are having a better regular season than they have in recent years, and Embiid is still poised to get considerable support for MVP this spring
“He’s a great player, and I don’t toss that word around lightly but he’s a great one,” Givens said. “And right now, this team is hot.”
In a year with many great MVP candidates, Embiid does have a high bar to reach, but if things continue on this path for he and the Sixers, NBA fans can still expect to hear Embiid’s name quite a bit when awards votes are due.