Nero fiddles while Rome burns! The phrase goes the same for Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic as Joel put himself in contention for MVP, in contrast, Luka saw his season end on Friday.
One of the most captivating NBA MVP races in recent memory is the one for 2022–2023. As the season comes to a close, fans are mulling over a number of candidates for this season’s MVP, including Embiid, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokoumpo.
Will Joel Embiid win MVP, eliminating Luka and other contenders?
This season, Joel has been utterly dominant, elevating his play to a new level, and he is currently leading the league in scoring while shooting a career-high 54.2% from the field and guiding his team to a 51-27 record. Also, the 29-year-old has put up impressive defensive numbers, averaging 10.2 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and 1.1 steals.
In 2022, Embiid made NBA history by becoming the first player since 1973-74 to have at least 50 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 blocks in a single game. Even, Stephen Curry, a two-time MVP winner, believes that the 76ers center has the opportunity to win the MVP award for 2022–2023 based on his current season’s stats and his prior performances.
“Any person you pick, their body of work could be compared to [Nikola] Jokić or Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. But Joel took a leap that I think a lot of people didn’t expect because he was dominant already…That leap turned heads and put [the Philadelphia 76ers] in a great position. If I had to pick, it would be him,” Curry stated.
The other candidate, Luka, on the other hand, had a standout season as well, averaging 33.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists over the course of 57 games. In 2022, the point guard made NBA history by finishing a two-game stretch with 95 points, 20 rebounds, and 20 assists.
The Bulls star, however, doesn’t seem to be having a good time as he was only able to play the first quarter of the most recent game against the Mavericks where they meet a terrible loss. The 24-year-old and will also be unable to play the final game against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, according to head coach Jason Kidd.
After that, Luka fans started to worry because it seemed like he was out of the running to win MVP while Joel was steadily strengthening his position.
However, in the game, it is premature to make assumptions because Nikola Jokic, the two-time defending MVP, is involved in a fiercely competitive race for the award. Jokic is almost averaging a triple-double, scoring 24.9 points per game while pulling down 11.9 rebounds and dishing out 9.9 assists.
You also can’t leave out Giannis Antetokounmpos‘ name from the race, a two-time MVP, who has averaged 31.2 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in 52 games this season.
In your opinion, who is ahead in the race?
