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Joel Embiid is now an NBA MVP candidate before the start of every season. The Philadelphia 76ers selected Joel Embiid with the third pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, and heading into year eight, Joel Embiid is seen as one of the best players in the NBA. With so much going on with the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons, the pressure will be on Joel Embiid to dominate every night. He is the best scoring option at center in the NBA, and will be heavy on the boards as well nightly, so Joel Embiid will be a top candidate for NBA MVP this season. Here's why.
Joel Embiid is a force
Since Joel Embiid entered the NBA, he has been the total package as a scorer, rebounder and defender. Joel Embiid averaged 28 points per game last season - the most since Shaquille O'Neal did the same in 2001. He's told me before that he wants to be the best defensive player in the league, and with two great defenders on his team (well, if Ben Simmons was at camp), that is a goal to shoot for. Joel Embiid and his peers like Nikola Jokic, Karl-Antony Towns and Anthony Davis, when he wants to play center, are revolutionizing the NBA. As big men, they are adapting to the three-point focus and becoming confident shooters from the outside. If a team has one of the aforementioned, and talent surrounding that talent, they are a matchup challenge for the opposition daily. Joel Embiid is one of the most skilled big men the NBA has seen, and his peers are not far behind.
Kobe Bryant influence
Joel Embiid says watching the 2010 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics was the turning point in his life. He fell in love with the game watching Kobe Bryant, and wanted to be like him and play like him. That Joel Embiid was influenced by one of the most technically sound athetes ever, shows in his footwork and skill. Joel Embiid is different than other centers. His approach is more of a total focus, hence Kobe Bryant. Joel Embiid is trying to acquire something Kobe Bryant has, an NBA MVP trophy. How will he win NBA MVP this season? Here are three ways Embiid can do it.
#3 Stay healthy
Joel Embiid missed two full seasons before playing 31 games and landing on the All Rookie 1st team in 2017. He's missed time here and there for injuries that most pro athletes suffer, yet for the Philadelphia 76ers to centend this season, Joel Embiid has to be on the floor. There's no other way for the Philadelphia 76ers to win. It's said that if he played more games, Joel Embiid would have won MVP over Nikola Jokic. If that's true, Joel Embiid has to listen to the people and show and prove he is the MVP.
#2 Win
The Philadelphia 76ers finished atop the Eastern Conference at 49-23 last season despite Joel Embiid being limited to 51 games. It was their first Eastern Conference Finals visit since 2001. As the Ben Simmons soap opera continues, everything can be healed by winning. Joel Embiid, continuing his 2020-21 production this season combined with winning, will firmly put Joel Embiid at top of any MVP candidacy list.
#1 Be the best
Nikola Jokic winning the first MVP for a center since Shaq won, set the bar high last season. He broke the long-standing Wilt Chamberlain record of 81 double digit assist games, and separated himself from other centers because of that elite ability to pass. While Joel Embiid most likely won't ever be the passer Nikola Jokic is, he can do anything else, and play defense. Joel Embiid has a lot to prove this season after an offseason of complete disarray. The shoulder chips needed to push his talent to the top of the league are now present. He's surely tired of all the talk and distractions and ready to go. Though he most likely won't have Ben Simmons on the floor with him to win as the Sixers have, the rest of his teammates are comfortable in knowing Joel Embiid is the best center in the NBA. If they win for him, Joel Embiid will be on the lips of every voter for the NBA MVP award.
Also Read: Who is Joel Embiid’s girlfriend, Anne de Paula?
