NBA 2023-24: Reigning Regular Season MVP Joel Embiid Could Miss Out on Back-to-Back Title Despite Massive Season
Joel Embiid is not 100% for competitive games and has already missed 12 games this season. If he misses six or more games from now, he will be ineligible for the title as per league rules.
The Philadelphia 76ers team is one of the top-performing franchises from the Eastern Conference. They are always in the championship contenders' talk, even though they have failed to deliver any title in two decades, they won the Eastern Conference title in 2001. Reason for this – Joel Embiid. The Cameroon-born star has been the mainstay for the franchise and regularly tops team stats for most of the game. He came close to winning the regular season MVP trophy – a feat highlighting a monumental season for any NBA star, twice before finally bagging it in the 2022-23 season. But he could miss out on the same accolade this season despite having another ‘MVP-estic’ season. NBA 2024 Rising Stars Roster: Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren Included, Check Full Player Names.
His performances this season also made him the favourite to win his second MVP trophy. He even surpassed his MVP stats, setting up many franchise records in the process. Currently, he is averaging career-highs in points 36 (three more than last season) and in assists 5.8 ( 2.5½ more than last season), plus 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 53.9% from the field, 36.8% on 3-pointers and 88.3% from the free throw line. All these stats won him many mini-awards this season and handed him a handsome lead in the Kia MVP race, yet sadly he could miss out on the accolade.
Why would Joel Embiid miss out on the 2023-24 NBA Regular Season MVP Award? Joel Embiid's MVP chances fading for NBA 2023-24 Season
During the Warriors-76ers game on Tuesday night, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported, "Embiid came into this season with two goals - To become the best player in the game and to enter the playoffs healthy” During the Sixers' road game against the Indiana Pacers last Thursday, Embiid played 31 minutes, however, he tweaked his knee during the matchup and missed the next two games. This raises questions about his availability in the 2024 NBA All-Star game, where he is selected as the 2024 NBA All-Star starter.
With that Embiid has missed 12 games, meaning he can sit out only five more of Philadelphia's remaining 37 games to remain eligible for the award. As per NBA rules, a player is now required to play at least 20 minutes in 65 of the 82 regular-season games for the major awards. This hands Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo a chance to push their bid for the award.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 31, 2024 08:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).