Joel Embiid has been on an absolute tear in recent weeks and is now the favorite for MVP in the eyes of many.
Gilbert Arenas though doesn’t have the Sixers star at the top of his MVP ladder and even took some shots at him to explain why that is the case.
“I don’t see the quantum leap from Embiid,” Arenas said. He takes a lot of possessions off. Usually dies out in the 4th quarter when he gets tired…There’s nothing that stands out for me to put him as the front runner as the MVP.”
Gilbert Arenas’ MVP ladder:
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. Joel Embiid
“I don’t see the quantum leap from Embiid…he takes a lot of possessions off. Usually dies out in the 4th quarter when he gets tired…There’s nothing that stands out for me to put him as the… pic.twitter.com/gpOxtqaUP3
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 18, 2023
To say that he hasn’t taken a leap is a bit unfair. Embiid has been incredible this season, and in March, he is averaging 36.1 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 4.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, and 2.3 BPG while shooting an absurd 62.7% from the field. The criticisms regarding taking possessions off and especially the one about him fading in the fourth quarter don’t really apply for this season either.
He has come up big for the Sixers in late-game situations plenty of times this season and his 6.6 PPG in the fourth quarter ranks just outside the top 10 in this campaign, as per StatMuse. He has been great all season, and no one can really complain if he does finally win MVP this time around.
Walt Frazier Explains Why Joel Embiid Is The MVP
Anthony Edwards stated earlier this month that Embiid is the MVP for him and now, Hall of Famer Walt Frazier has come out and explained why Embiid deserves to win MVP. The New York Knicks legend claims that Embiid has no weakness in his game, unlike his two main rivals for the award.
Frazier pointed to Nikola Jokic not being a great interior defender and Giannis Antetokounmpo being a poor free-throw shooter. Embiid is pretty great in both those areas, and there really isn’t a weakness in his game. Bill Simmons went as far as to say that Embiid is a more complete offensive player than Shaquille O’Neal, and his skill set is really quite impressive.
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