Joel Embiid is widely viewed as an MVP candidate this season. He has been a powerhouse on both ends for the Philadelphia 76ers and is having a fantastic season. Currently, Joel Embiid is putting up 29.9 PPG, 11.4 RPG, and 4.3 APG for the 76ers while also being an elite rim protector for the team.
Another player that has recently been mentioned in MVP talks is Jayson Tatum, who has played a crucial role in the Boston Celtics turning their season around. When speaking on an episode of the Bill Simmons podcast, Chris Mannix revealed that Jayson Tatum talked some trash to Joel Embiid and told him to win the MVP award this year, as he said it would be his next season.
He works with Drew Hanlen. Joel Embiid also works with Drew Hanlen too, a skills coach. He called Drew one day, when Drew was with Embiid, he didn’t know it. Before he got off the phone, he made Drew put it on speakerphone and said to Embiid “You better win MVP this year, because it’s mine next year.”
His confidence is next level at this point.
There is no doubt that Jayson Tatum could potentially win the MVP award in the future. He is a fantastic scorer who can get his buckets from all over the court. Currently, Jayson Tatum is putting up 27.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 4.3 APG. He clearly has a fantastic future, and Celtics legend Paul Pierce once even claimed that Tatum could become the greatest Celtics player of all time.
There is a chance that the Boston Celtics will end up facing the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs. It would be fun for fans to see a matchup between Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid, and that would be a series that has the potential to go all 7 games.