As the NBA regular season is coming to an end next week, the tension around the MVP choice is getting higher, and Damian Lillard has put more pressure on the contenders by picking his MVP for the season.
Everyone in the NBA community seems eager to join in the MVP race for Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid and Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic. The history between these two stars pumps fuel into the debate as the last two times Nikola defeated Joel to the honor in a row.
And just like everyone else, Damian was also entitled to choose his MVP and shared his pick in a recent interview.
Who did Damian Lillard choose for MVP this year?
In a recent interview with Dan Patrick, the 32-year-old point guard shared his pick for this season’s MVP, and it was 76ers star Joel Embiid. “Joel Embiid is my MVP this year. I pick Joel Embiid because I feel he’s been dominant all season long,” he said.
“His team is winning, and I feel like he could have won it the last two years, but Jokic won it both times,” the seven-time NBA all-star added. “I just think because he’s been, to me, the most dominant player, he’s been carrying his team.”
“I think you can’t continue to give it to the guy who’s won it twice in a row, especially when you have a guy like this who’s playing at the same level or even higher. He could have got it one of the two times he was at that level; I just think that’s not how it should work,” the 6.2-footer concluded.
It’s true that, while Embiid has shown a more dominant display this season than the previous two and Jokic is a magnificent player, the competition has peaked. The majority of the community now thinks the 7-foot center has shown more improvement than the other one.
Moreover, ‘the Joker’ is also in sublime form, and nothing is more appreciating than the MVP award for him, but at this stage, he seems to be eyeing the NBA title after having had his fair share of MVPs. Sometimes this type of achievement shifts the focus, and athletes become distracted from the ultimate goal.
Lillard, considering the last two seasons, thinks the 29-year-old is at the epitome of his career; he scored on average 33 points with 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in 63 appearances this season so far. Though stats are not the only parameter to determine in this case, they do show the level of dedication and contribution a player is bringing forth.
Who’s your MVP this year? Do you agree with Damian Lillard? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
