The MVP candidacy of Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid has been gaining steam ever since he returned from COVID in late November. While he was an excellent player prior to that three-week absence, his scoring has exploded over the past three months as he’s regained the offensive form of last year, when he finished second in MVP voting.
I’m never someone who plays into the narrative concept of MVP. I think narrative-based award criteria is faulty. Players should be assessed for their on-court performance, not the storylines surrounding that. But many voters roll with narratives and it’s inarguable Embiid’s narrative was boosted last week when he dropped 42-14-5-1 in a nationally televised road win over the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, going toe-to-toe with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 32-11-9-3-1 (yes, I know, both teams were shorthanded).