PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — For the first time in 20 years, the Sixers are the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and have a legitimate MVP candidate — Joel Embiid.
Embiid recorded career-best averages 28.5 points and 10.7 foul shot attempts, while shooting 51.3% from the floor in 51 games.
The fact that Embiid is in the conversation is a credit to his mindset to dominate this season and play up to his potential.
In an ESPN cover story on Embiid, head coach Doc Rivers said he pointed out to him early on that there has never been an MVP who was out of shape.
"That was a very honest statement that Joel could’ve taken and not done it," Rivers said, prior to the Sixers' regular season finale. "But he took it the right way, because he’s a competitor. And he wants the best. He wants to be a champion. He wants to be an MVP. And I think he’s gonna reach all of those things."
Unfortunately, it may work to Embiid's disadvantage that he missed 21 games this season — for a bone bruise to his left knee and coronavirus-related protocols. Denver big man Nikola Jokić is widely considered the favorite — and he didn’t miss any games.
But the bottom line is Embiid is playing the best basketball of his NBA career, heading into the most critical stretch of Sixers games in two decades. He and co-star Ben Simmons proved to doubters that they can play together, and the Sixers are evidently holding each other accountable — which sounded like it might be a problem last season, when the 76ers were ousted in the first round of the NBA playoffs, leading to the firing of former head coach Brett Brown.