Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers has hit a new zenith in his career, as he was named the NBA’s regular-season MVP on Tuesday.
This season’s race for the award was one of the most competitive in recent memory, as Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo were engaged in a tight three-way competition all throughout the season, and Embiid became the favorite only recently toward the late stages of the season.
The 2022-23 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player 🙌
Congrats, @JoelEmbiid!#NBAAwards | #KiaMVP | @Kia
pic.twitter.com/BVWrfvtWGN— NBA (@NBA) May 2, 2023
Plenty of fans are happy for him and feel he deserved the honor.
Well deserved!
— Vince Carter’s Last Shot (@VinceCarterLast) May 2, 2023
He wanted it more than anyone, whether you agree or disagree on the MVP you have to feel good for him
— T.D 🃏 #BringItIn (@MileHighRipper) May 2, 2023
But of course, in a race that was so tight, many will also disagree with Embiid taking home the MVP.
This fan not only feels he didn’t deserve the award, but he even pointed out that the Sixers played better when he wasn’t on the court, even though there was a very small sample size of such moments.
Joel Embiid is the first MVP in 8 years to have inferior performance statistics to another player. This is ALSO the first time in NBA history that the regular season MVP award was given to a player whose team actually plays better when he isn’t on the court.
— R.J.GerberJr. (@wyotriumphrider) May 2, 2023
This fan pointed out how much the Denver Nuggets struggled without Jokic and felt the writers who voted for the award simply wanted Embiid to win it.
When your team has a .722 win percentage without you, are you really the most valuable? Jokic team was .385 when he didn’t play. Think they just wanted to give it to somebody else. My unbiased opinion as I’m not a fan of either team.
— Anish Dahal (@Anish_CFC) May 3, 2023
Jokic was the MVP in both of the last two seasons and in the two seasons prior to that, Antetokounmpo won the award.
There is a such thing as voter fatigue, but at the same time, Embiid had a monster season and has reached the top of his powers.
He averaged 33.1 points a game, which led the NBA for the second straight year, and shot 54.8 percent from the field, and both those numbers were career highs for him.
Whether he deserves the MVP or not, in the last few years, Embiid has gone from a great but flawed player to one that is simply dominant.
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