Somehow, without Ben Simmons, the Philadelphia 76ers are playing like they’re the best team in the East.
Their latest win over Chicago on Saturday marked their sixth straight victory, giving them an 8-2 record overall.
One of the highlights of the night came in the fourth quarter when Joel Embiid nailed a corner three to ice the game.
After hitting the shot, he appears to mimic the famous “Jordan shrug” on the way back down the court.
was that a Jordan shrug? pic.twitter.com/3uPJKnbs0x
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) November 7, 2021
For those that don’t know, the gesture was used by the GOAT himself during the 1992 Finals, when he hit six three-pointers in the first half against Portland.
Embiid only made four threes, but he certainly has reason to be excited.
Not only are his Sixers on fire (even without their second-best player), but Embiid could be building an MVP campaign before our very eyes.
“He went into the year with a huge chip on his shoulder… With Doc as well, under that,” said Tobias Harris. “He was like alright. He saw the first couple games, how the flow of the team was going and how we wanted to play. He was like “Wow, I can be dominant out there. So, this is what I’m gonna do on a daily basis”. He took that and ran with it. You just saw him expand his game…
I think he’s going to be the MVP this year.”
Embiid, a 4x All-Star, 3x All-NBA player, and 3x All-Defensive star, has already cemented himself as one of the best big men in the game.
Through 8 games this season, his stats are down at 20 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. But if he continues to pick up his play, and lead his team to great success in the East, it might just end with him lifting the MVP trophy.
He should probably leave the shrugging to Jordan though, he was a little better at it.
