The most exciting part of the season is here. The 2023 NBA playoffs are well underway, but we still have to know some of the individual awards’ winners of the regular season. Of course, everyone wants to knowwho is the MVP.
Three candidates are on pace to get the prize this year: Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. The Nuggets star had the upper hand the last two seasons, but the other two made a strong case to dethrone him.
Kevin Durant, a former MVP himself, had his say on this situation. While his priority right now is to have a deep run with the Phoenix Suns, he explained why he believes the Sixers big man deserves the accolade.
Kevin Durant chooses Joel Embiid as favorite to win MVP
“Joel Embiid…he was my pick last year too,” Durant told Eddie Gonzalez on the latest episode of The ETCS, via ClutchPoints. “It ain’t even just defensively to me. He’s just dominant. He’s just flat out dominant. Unstoppable.
“I think it’s not like he [needs] sympathy for never getting one, but he’s playing at a dominant level, the last two years has been an insane level, like come on man. What more does he have to do to become MVP? And they’re winning basketball games too. He should experience what it’s like to win MVP. Everybody should if you’re at that level of Joel Embiid.”
see also
NBA Awards 2023: When is the 2022-2023 NBA MVP announced?
Durant echoes the sentiment of most NBA players, as Embiid has been frequently mentioned by his colleagues as the favorite to win the award this year. We’ll have to wait and see, but the 76ers star’s season is definitely worth of an MVP.