When it involves profitable NBA MVP Awards, Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry is aware of a factor or two. Curry is a two-time MVP winner, and he turned the primary unanimous MVP winner in league historical past in 2016. Curry is not within the working for the award this season, however he does have an opinion concerning who ought to win the NBA’s most prestigious particular person award.
“I’d say Joel [Embiid],” Curry stated of who he would vote for, through Bleacher Report. “Any particular person you decide, their physique of labor could possibly be in comparison with Jokić or Giannis. But Joel took a leap that I believe lots of people did not count on as a result of he was dominant already. That leap turned heads and put Philly in an excellent place. If I needed to decide, it could be him.”
Curry joins his Warriors teammate Draymond Green in publicly displaying assist for Embiid in what has formed as much as be an especially tight award race.
“Right now within the MVP race, I believe it is Joel. I believe it is Joel’s award to lose,” Green stated late final month. “I believe the best way he loses that award is his crew begins dropping. Joel’s going to place up Joel numbers, Joel going to do what Joel has been doing. It’s Joel’s award to lose. It’s attention-grabbing how a lot issues are altering, you take a look at the standings, this MVP stuff is altering. Joel ought to get his first MVP this yr. I do not count on Philly to hit some loopy dropping streak. And be that they will not do this, it must be Joel’s to lose.”
Portland Trail Blazers star guard Dame Lillard additionally expressed an identical sentiment not too long ago.
“I decide Joel Embiid as a result of I really feel like he is been dominant all season lengthy,” Lillard stated of the MVP race. “His crew is profitable. I really feel like he may’ve received it one of many final two years, however Jokic received it each instances.
“I simply suppose as a result of he is been, to me, probably the most dominant participant and has been carrying his crew, you may’t proceed to offer it to a man who’s received it twice in a row, particularly when you might have a man like this that is performing on the identical degree, possibly even larger. And he additionally did not get it one of many final two instances when he was at that degree. I simply suppose that is not the way it ought to work.”
After ending as runner-up to Nuggets heart Nikola Jokic in every of the previous two seasons, Embiid is poised to assert the award as his personal lastly. The Sixers heart is having the perfect season of his profession and averaging private bests in factors per recreation (33) and area objective proportion (54). He’s additionally in line to win his second consecutive scoring title and once more has the Sixers trying like a reliable contender within the Eastern Conference.
Embiid is way from a shoo-in to win the award, although, as he faces some extraordinarily stiff competitors from Jokic and Bucks ahead Giannis Antetokounmpo. All three gamers are having spectacular seasons, and a powerful argument could possibly be made in favor of every of them. Picking between them is like splitting hairs, as they are saying. But just one man can win, and among the high gamers within the league suppose it is Embiid’s time. Even if Embiid does not in the end win the award, he clearly has the respect of his friends, and that is significant in itself.