Antonio Gramsci wrote this “A truth pays off when you try to earn it” and Joel Embiid He leaves his soul on a field to try to achieve his long-awaited and coveted MVP for three seasons. The Cameroonian giant had to share a historic moment with one of the best passers of all time and an offensive mismatch such as Nikola Jokic. It is through the Serb’s appeal that one can understand much of the changes that have taken place in the game over the last decade, while its star 76 year olds He has seen how repeatedly his reports and numbers were parked in the background.
It is so right to say this Jokic he deserved it two MVPs and that he is a worthy favorite for this year’s award, as Embiid should have taken home the trophy at some point in the last three years. Between good and bad, everyone knows how to distinguish, but on the narrow edge that excellence leads, the ground is more slippery. What points should be given more emphasis? How far do you have to use advanced statistics to justify an argument? And to what extent is it necessary to simplify the speech? The split between Embiid and Jokic has capitalized on the discussion in circles nba for a while now. The press, fans and social media users share arguments for and against one candidate or the other in a debate without end or consensus. The only point of real value in this debate is one that appreciates both of them for what they really are: two unique figures of historical importance.
As the Serb marches toward his third straight trophy, Embiid moves to the sidelines with consistency and determination. There is something epic about the African’s quest to win the MVP. As an impossible race, the interior has embraced the relative impossibility of reaching this distinct peak. Far from throwing in the towel, looking for culprits or defaming his opponent in order to rise up, Embiid decided he was going to “die” on the floor.
In his statements he assures that he is not focused on trying to win the award. “I’m just trying to focus on the right things. Winning games, dominating what I’m doing and whatever. Obviously, who doesn’t want to win?” he recently told the TNT show. However, he speaks more for what he doesn’t say than what he does. “I don’t know. That’s not the question for me,” He responded with a smile to Chris Haynes’ question about who was the MVP favorite. In his reaction lay the key, for It was a message for those responsible for selecting the winner, to voters, who seem to have already made up their minds before time runs out. Like he’s trying to say something like “what else should I do?”
It has been 51 years since the last time a centre won the top scorer title two years in a row. At that time Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the reference, synonymous with painting mastery, at a time when the game was very different, like comparing the mechanics of a satellite back then to today. Great in their context, but counterintuitive in the way they go about it and the complexity of their tools. Joel Embiid is averaging 33.4 points per night with an accuracy of 57.1% of twos, 36% of threes and 85.4% free, which adds up to a no less remarkable back performance.
Just one tidbit to illustrate the extraordinary nature of what the 76ers star does: since the triple was established in 1979, no other centre averages more than 33 points.
Embiid could be the first.
The African pursues a utopia, something impossible. try to answer a joker That raised the Nuggets from a 58.5% winning percentage to 68.7%, as the West leaders in triple-double percentage would require a mix of stats, storytelling and that aura that all of these special players possess.
But, to be brief, what would it take for Joel Embiid to turn the river so that the MVP ends up in his trophy case?
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Don’t miss a game
The main plate weighing on Joel Embiid is his durability. There is always an injury, an accident, a blow, a tiny detail, which forces him to be absent for a certain period of time. Since being selected in the 2014 Draft, the African 47.1% of the games the 76ers have played have been lost, including two blank seasons. Downsampling, the infielder has only played in 66.7% of the snaps following his 2016 debut.
That, and no other, has been the primary narrative that has accompanied Embiid over these past three Regular Seasons, even though he’s been in 78% of the 76ers’ games in that span.
This campaign, the Cameroonian has played 80% of the snaps to Jokic’s 88%, which in other words means he’s been absent for 13 Philadelphia duels in Embiid’s case. To put in context, if he didn’t miss a single night from now until the end of the Regular Phase, the interior would play almost the same games as the year in which Allen Iverson was MVP (71) or more recently James Harden (72).
Availability is one of the great advantages of this historical period and Embiid has never played more than 26 games without causing loss.
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Take the 76ers to the top of the East
He MVP it is the least individual of all the awards to players that are distributed every normal phase in the nba. Excellence cannot be understood without collective success, and to win this award is a prerequisite for the team to be a game-winning machine. Exceptions to this unwritten rule are few. (Djokic in 2022, without further ado) and they always draw a line statistics majestic.
The difference between his winning percentage Denverfirst from the West, and from Philadelphiathird from the East, is only from the 2%. something equivalent to 1.5 matches away to be more clear. What’s happening is that the top of the East is more competitive than the other side of the scoreboard, with the Bucks at 72.7% and the Celtics at 68.7%.
The problem for Embiid is that the Sixers have one of the most complicated and demanding schedules in the entire NBA. In 15 days they will have to face Cavs, Warriors, Suns, Nuggets and Bucks away from home and before Mavs, Celtics and Heat as local, among others. The complexity to make this happen is huge, but if he does it well it would be a major argument to strengthen his candidacy.
change the narrative
A very strange thing is happening in the NBA. On the one hand it is what has been objectively done on the other side, what is said to have happened. The latter is nothing more than the dominant frame of thought, which determines how reality is structured, since language and communication shape the present and not the other way around. Sports provide a great window to understand this within media logic and how things change over the course of a season.
The 76 are gone, as said before, 15 games to complete the Regular Phase. Of those there are some very interesting ones, but one that could change everything for Embiid stands out in particular. One that will be played on March 27 at 1609 meters high in his hometown Denver.
The conflict between the two candidates for the MVP you can set this year’s award resolution. That is, if Embiid had a great performance, outdoing Jokic on every level and, moreover, performing it in epic fashion would undoubtedly change the narrative. With 7 games to play and the season in full swing, the African would get a much needed boost.
And it is that as they say, a good ending can serve to change everything.
Going back to the beginning of this article, it is no longer enough for Embiid to put up big numbers, extraordinary stats or a positive balance. No, the 76ers player lacks that extra showing he deserves, who has earned the honor and to do so has overcome an extraordinary season by an offensive monster like Nikola Jokic. In short, what the effort goes beyond the margins of objective truth.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
