Harden: Embiid 'deserves' to win MVP award
James Harden and Joel Embiid have been Philadelphia 76ers teammates for about 18 games, but the star guard has seen enough to vouch for Embiid's candidacy as this season's MVP.
"He deserves it, man," Harden said Thursday, courtesy of ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. "I've only been here for a few weeks, but I already see his mindset.
"He wants to win. Some guys just want numbers, but he has both. He has the mentality of winning, and he scores the ball at a high level. I think he's prepared himself, especially coming off last year, for this year to be one of his best years."
Embiid was in the running for MVP last campaign but ultimately finished second to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who accrued 91 of 100 first-place votes. The two are expected to be the front-runners again this year, however, with the race seemingly closer thanks to their individual numbers.
| Embiid | Jokic | |
|---|---|---|
| Games played | 59 | 67 |
| Points per game | 29.8 | 26.2 |
| Rebounds per game | 11.3 | 13.5 |
| Assists per game | 4.3 | 7.9 |
| Blocks per game | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| Steals per game | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| On-off net rating difference | 10.3 | 13.5 |
| Box plus minus | 9.4 | 13.69* |
| Usage rate | 37.50% | 30.60% |
*Highest single-season BPM ever recorded, according to Basketball Reference
Where they may differ, though, is in the standings. Embiid has helped keep the 76ers within range of the Eastern Conference's top seed nearly all season long, but the Nuggets and Jokic haven't ranked higher than fifth in the West since Nov. 17.
Philadelphia is currently 45-27 and one-and-a-half games behind the first-place Miami Heat, while Denver is 43-31 and one game clear of the seventh-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, who could leapfrog and demote the Nuggets to the play-in tournament.
"Most of the games he's played this year, we've been fighting for the No. 1 seed," Harden added regarding Embiid. "And he's not only top two, top three in scoring, but he's impactful to our team winning."