Was Sixers star Joel Embiid snubbed in the NBA general manager survey?
The Sixers center, who was predicted to finish third in the MVP race, was last season’s scoring leader at 30.6 points per game and finished as MVP runner-up in each of the past two seasons.
Joel Embiid would appear to be a legitimate favorite to win the NBA’s MVP award this season.
The 76ers center was last year’s scoring leader at 30.6 points per game and finished as MVP runner-up in each of the past two seasons.
But he’s a distant third to win the award, according to the NBA App GM survey, which puts 50 questions in front of league leaders and weighs the pool of responses to each one.
Forty-eight percent of the league’s general managers picked Dallas point guard Luka Dončić to win the MVP award. Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was second at 34%, followed by Embiid at 14%. Golden State point guard Steph Curry was fourth at 3%.
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“I can’t speak to that,” Sixers assistant coach Dave Joerger said of Embiid receiving just 14% of the votes. “I’m very partial, and I think he should have won [MVP] the last two years.”
Joerger, who was acting head coach for Wednesday’s preseason game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, was asked if Embiid was underrated.
“I’ve coached against him as well,” said Joerger, who had former head coaching stints in Memphis and Sacramento. “He’s a problem. He’s a big problem. But the inner working of what people in the league think as people who coach against him, he is not underrated.
“But we’re not out there. And I don’t do social media. So I’m not tweeting, ‘Joel’s a beast.’”
Embiid (17%) was also a distant second to Denver’s Nikola Jokić (79%) in voting for the league’s top center. Jokić garnered league MVP and first-team All-NBA honors in each of the past two seasons. Meanwhile, Embiid had second-team All-NBA honors in those seasons.
He was also tied for fourth (7%) with Dončić behind Curry (52%) for the player who forces opposing coaches to make the most adjustments. And Embiid, a native of Cameroon, was not listed in the top three for best international player.
“Honestly, I had no idea,” Tyrese Maxey said of the GM survey. “He’s not worried about it [the MVP poll]. I know that. He’s going to be very good this year. I have zero worries about Joel. That’s the last human being I’m worried about.
“He’s been under the radar. But he’s doing to do what he does. He’s going to put his name back out there. People are going to start believing. If we win games, the sky is the limit for him.”
Things are set up for him to have his best season.
On paper, this is the most talented Sixers team in his seven years, and Embiid is expected to be the focal point.
Offensively, the Sixers will feature Embiid in the post and with James Harden in pick-and-rolls. As a result, the 7-foot-2, 280-pounder should put up better numbers than last season’s historic campaign.
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He became the first center to lead the NBA in scoring since Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal in the 1999-2000 season. Embiid was also the first center to win a scoring title while averaging more than 30 points per game since Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, who averaged 31.1 points in 1975-76.
And he was the first center to average more than 30 points since Hall of Famer Moses Malone, who averaged 31.1 points as a Houston Rocket in 1981-82. Malone was traded to the Sixers after that season, winning a second MVP award and an NBA title during the 1982-83 campaign.
So Embiid was in great company.
But he’ll be expected to do more than just score.
“I think he’s a little bit underrated as far as how much his passing has improved,” Joerger said. “He’s gotten better. I thought he had a nice week last week [during training camp] where he’s seeing guys and being able to make some of those passes, which only makes him a better scorer as well.”
Meanwhile, the Sixers (17%) were tied with Minnesota for second behind Cleveland (41%) as the team with the best offseason moves. Forward P.J. Tucker (14%) and Clippers point guard John Wall tied at second behind Boston point guard Malcolm Brogdon (28%) for the most underrated acquisition. De’Antony Melton was fourth (10%).
The Sixers did not receive any votes to win the Eastern Conference. They did, however, have the most votes (66%) to finish third.