Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic are widely viewed as the two main candidates for the MVP award. They are both viewed as dominant big men who can change the outcome of an entire game.
A little-known fact about the two was recently shared on Reddit, with user Pvanede pointing out that Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid will be playing one another for the first time in 825 days. The user notably pointed out that Joel Embiid has a winning record against Nikola Jokic in their matchups, 4-1.
Jokic and Embiid face off tonight for the first time in 825 days, what do we expect from the MVP candidates? Is this an MVP deciding game?
Jokic in 5 games against Embiid:
21.4 PTS 8.2 REB 7.0 AST 1.2 STL 0.8 BLK 31.8 MIN
Embiid in 5 games against Jokic:
19.8 PTS 11.2 REB 3.2 AST 1.2 STL 2.2 BLK 29.7 MIN
Embiid is 4-1 in games against Jokic.
Nikola Jokic won the MVP last season, and he certainly has a deserving case to win it this year. While it is difficult for someone to win the MVP award two years in a row, it is certainly not impossible.
There is no doubt that though they are fighting to get the MVP award, Nikola Jokic clearly respects Joel Embiid and his abilities. Nikola Jokic has recently praised Embiid, and claimed that the Cameroonian big man can “do everything on the floor”.
“… He’s a great player, great. Like, foreal, great, great player. He can do everything on the floor, who is controlling the game, who is in conversation for MVP and the best player in the league. He’s so dominant. … I like to play with the best.”
There is no doubt that both Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are players who can win a game by themselves. We should be seeing their best tonight, and either of them realistically could win the MVP.
Hopefully, this upcoming Denver Nuggets-Philadelphia 76ers game will be a fun contest. It will be interesting to see who will come out on top, and this is certainly an important matchup for both Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid.
