Following his return to playing, the Cameroonian superstar sits at pole position to repeat as the MVP.
It’s safe to say that Joel Embiid has returned to action after a turbulent few weeks during which the Cameroonian superstar spent a lot of time on the sidelines.
Embiid is still scoring a league-high 35 points per game and ranking highly in other categories, so there was reason to think that his MVP stock would decline due to the seven games he missed in the previous month, but it hasn’t.
The 28-year-old is still ranked first on the NBA’s most recent MVP Ladder, surpassing players like Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Embiid has shown that he is still the favorite in the two games that have passed since his last injury layoff. In his first game back, he scored 41 points in three and a half quarters of action against the Houston Rockets.
The most captivating display, though, came on Tuesday night against Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, when the reigning MVP put on a master lesson, scoring 41 points on 59 percent shooting and showcasing his ability to create opportunities for others by throwing out 10 assists.
Embiid’s heroics helped the Sixers win their third straight game despite the Serbian giant’s 25 points and 19 rebounds.
There is some respect between the two front-runners for the most coveted award in the league, even though Embiid was observed telling Jokic that “he’s the best player in the league” after winning that game.
Embiid continued to advance in the next two games, putting up strong performances against the Orlando Magic and the Charlotte Hornets. He averaged 37 points, eight rebounds, and five assists to round up this week’s play.