Joel Embiid has scored 27, 36, and 39 points while playing just 27, 25, and 33 minutes, respectively, over his last three games and folks in Philadelphia are convinced he should be this year's most valuable player in the NBA.
However, the rest of the basketball community doesn't see it that way, at least when it comes to members of the media.
ESPN recently asked 101 media members from all 28 markets to participate in an "informal poll that mimics the postseason awards voting."
"Voters were asked to submit a five-player ballot, and results were tabulated using the league's scoring system: 10 points for each first-place vote, followed by seven points for second, five points for third, three points for fourth and one point for fifth," ESPN.com says.
Nikola Jokic received a whopping 964 points and was the only player on all 101 ballots. Jokic received 90 first place votes.
Embiid received just five first place votes and 401 total points.
Obviously missing 10 straight games with a knee injury has hurt Embiid's MVP case, but the Sixers are currently 38-17, 1st in the East. The Nuggets, conversely, are 35-20, 4th in the West.
Embiid is averaging a career-high 29.8 points per game to go along with 11.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 51.6% from the field, 38.9% from three, and 85.3% from the line.
Jokic is averaging 26.0 points, 10.9 rebounds, 8.8 assists on 56.4 FG%, 41.8 3P%, and 85.3 FT%. However, when it comes to advanced metrics and catch all stats, Jokic is far and away the leader.
