Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic could emerge as the next great big men rivalry in the NBA.
Is it safe to say that Joel Embiid was anticipating his matchup against the back-to-back MVP? It’s not hard to imagine Embiid having that game circled on his calendar after the monster performance he had as he poured in 47 points to go along with 18 rebounds, five assists, and three steals with two blocked shots to lead his Philadelphia 76ers to a 126-119 victory.
Embiid came out playing like a man with a massive chip on his shoulder and rightfully so as he most definitely had a point to prove in that battle with the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, especially right after he was snubbed of that prestigious honor the past couple of seasons.
With so many MVP candidates emerging and with the field wide open at the moment, Embiid made a bold statement with his performance and people will have to start recognizing just how special of a player he is as he has been slept on for way too long.
We are talking about a player who is one of the best big men in the game today and will be remembered as one of the best in his era. Embiid has had to deal with being doubted his entire career and it appears that he still has to prove that he belongs among the elite players in the NBA.
Not only was he recently snubbed by not being selected as a starter for this year’s all-star game but he has never been selected First Team All-NBA. He was runner-up for the MVP award twice and once was runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year. Talk about added motivation, the NBA may have just woken up a sleeping giant.
Hopefully, Embiid will be able to remain healthy, and if he does, this very well could be the year that he breaks through. Not only winning his 1st and well-deserved MVP but also leading the 76ers to an NBA Finals appearance in the process.
Not to take anything away from Jokic because he is indeed a spectacular talent who is deserving of all the accolades he has received thus far, but it is due time for Embiid to get the credit he deserves. Instead of examining the fact of how Embiid never won the awards he should have received, we as fans get to witness the next big man head-to-head rivalry that will be talked about for years to come.
Hopefully, this budding rivalry will continue to grow and become something that we can compare to the likes of Russell vs Chamberlain, Johnson vs Bird, or Garnett vs Duncan. In seven games against one another Embiid has averaged 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while Jokic has put up 21.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. There will be debates about which one of these superstars is better and there will be plenty of opinions as to who is better and why.
This battle of big men should be very entertaining and should continue to ascend for the next couple of seasons but it would be great if these two could someday meet up in an NBA Finals matchup for the ages. Embiid and Jokic will meet up again on March 27, this time in Denver and it will be interesting to see what the next chapter in this rivalry will bring.