It seems like Doc Rivers wants to see a big man winning the 2021 NBA MVP award, as he recently revealed he would vote for two centers as his first and second option if he was in charge of voting. The Philadelphia 76ers head coach has done a great job with his team, currently ranking 1st in the East, having Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons with great seasons.
The Cameroonian big man was one of the biggest candidates for the award before going down with an injury. Now that he’s back, he has tried to recover his best form and convince people that he hasn’t slowed down a bit. Rivers has seen the player very closely and for him, JoJo should be the winner of the award. If not, he would pick Nikola Jokic.
“If I was voting, it would be Joel and then probably the kid in Denver,” Rivers said.
"If I was voting, it would be Joel and then probably the kid in Denver."
– Doc Rivers on the MVP pic.twitter.com/QjnxW3lCn0
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 16, 2021
Doc Rivers says he thinks Joel Embiid should win the MVP, and if not him, it should be “the kid in Denver.” Says he wants to see a big man win the award.
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) April 16, 2021
The last time a center won the award was Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 and these two players are trying to emulate what the then Los Angeles Lakers star did. Embiid was having a terrific season before his injury and after his return, he hasn’t changed. Of course, Jokic and other players like James Harden, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Damian Lillard took advantage of the Cameroonian’s absence, as well as LeBron James’.
The race for the award seems to be wide open right now and the next couple of weeks will be crucial to define who will be taking home the longed-for award.
