Joel Embiid puts Sixers winning above all individual awards, goals
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Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid has made it known he wants to win Defensive Player of the Year and he wants to be involved in the MVP conversations as well as the All-NBA Teams. But he understands you have to win to be in those conversations.
The Sixers have done a lot of that in the 2020-21 season. They are tied for first in the East with the formidable Brooklyn Nets, and that is mostly due to the play of Embiid, who is in the MVP running right now. The big man out of Kansas has been absolutely incredible on the court for the majority of the season, and he needs to keep it going.
“I always say that, if we win, everybody wins,” said Embiid. “When you talk about individual accolades, like MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA, or the All-Defensive Teams, it’s not going to happen unless you win. That’s always my main focus. Just to go out there and win every single game, and, obviously, our goal is to finish first.”
There is talk about Embiid falling out of the MVP race after he missed 10 games due to a bone bruise in his left knee. The team went 7-3 in those games, but the big fella believes he is still in that conversation. He has been terrific all season and he should be in the race for the top individual award.
“When it comes to the MVP stuff, I feel like I’m still right there,” he stated. “When I’m on the floor, I feel like I’ve been the best all season. Just doing my thing and just dominating with the help of my teammates and the coaches putting me in the right positions to succeed. I still think I’m right there. I think I’m the MVP. I’ve been dominant all season.”
He is certainly not wrong about that. He is averaging 29.4 points and 11.1 rebounds while shooting 51.8% from the floor and 37.5% from deep. He has made it all look so easy at times, and the Sixers have flourished because of Embiid wanting to destroy everybody in front of him.
The bigger goal for this team is winning a title, and he knows the team needs him to be at his healthiest heading into the postseason.
“I’m not going to stop, but the bigger goal obviously is just to get to the playoffs healthy,” he finished. “To be able to compete for the whole thing.”
The big fella had 27 points and nine rebounds in Saturday’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Sixers will finish the trip on Monday against the Dallas Mavericks.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
