No matter who ends up winning the prize, it’s clear that the race for this year’s NBA MVP is going to be a close one.
In fact, the winner might triumph by just a hair, a very close margin.
That is because there has perhaps never been a time when the NBA was so talented.
There are multiple stars who are worthy of the honor, but only one will win.
https://t.co/wWGNmWoaNH’s updated MVP Ladder:
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Jayson Tatum
3. Joel Embiid
4. Luka Doncic
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo
6. Ja Morant
7. Kevin Durant
8. Donovan Mitchell
9. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
10. Jaylen Brown— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) January 20, 2023
In the latest MVP ladder released by NBA.com, we see the same familiar names that have populated the race for Most Valuable Player all season.
Not a whole lot has changed in the lineup, but one player has improved his chances and climbed up the ladder a little bit: Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Embiid is now in third place on the list, surpassing others like Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant, and others.
This comes as Embiid’s 76ers have won four straight games, all of them on the road.
Just like Embiid is in third place on this list of MVP contenders, his team is now third in the Eastern Conference.
After missing a few games at the start of the month, Embiid has come back with a fire in his belly and his eyes set on the prize.
He has scored more than 30 points for seven straight games now and achieved more than 40 for two of those matches.
His season average is currently 33.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists on 53.7% from the field.
While the competition for MVP is obviously very tough, Embiid is doing the work to get a lot of votes.
Will he continue to surge and possibly surpass Jayson Tatum and Nikola Jokic?
That is a tall order but it appears that Embiid isn’t slowing down any time soon.
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