In a small-ball, positionless era, the NBA has never been more blessed with incredible athletic wings. It seems every team has a talented talisman on the perimeter who can get buckets at will, however they so choose. Among some of the younger standouts: Ja Morant in Memphis, Devin Booker in Phoenix, and Donovan Mitchell in Utah. It’s a small-ball revolution.
But the thing about revolutions is their sparks die out just as quickly as they set everything ablaze.
The actual trend to watch in the NBA is the Big Man Renaissance led by the 76ers’ Joel Embiid and the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic: the two current best players in men’s pro basketball, and the respective Eastern and Western Conference NBA players of the Month for January.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in January. pic.twitter.com/phN6TZGyEY
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 2, 2022
How convenient that Embiid and Jokic were named the premier players in their respective conferences. Why, it’s almost as if they’re also the clear frontrunners for NBA MVP and anyone else is grasping at straws. I mean, Embiid is averaging a career-high in points (29.1) and is generally undefendable on a team sitting in the top four of the East. Meanwhile, Jokic is arguably having a more efficient and productive year (thanks to career-best shooting and rebound totals) than he did when he won MVP on a battered Nuggets squad.
Huh, what a conundrum. At least we don’t have to worry about these two coming to a head.
Oh wait, that’s precisely the case!
According to the latest odds from Tipico Sportsbook, Embiid (+220) is in the pole position to take home his first MVP trophy, a year after finishing as the runner-up to who else but Jokic. Of course, the Serbian big man is right behind Embiid at +300. Others like the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (+350) and the Warriors’ Stephen Curry (+380) are within striking distance, though, let’s be honest: They have no chance.
This MVP race is an old-fashioned duel of the freakishly sized and offensively gifted men. The NBA will soon name Embiid or Jokic the official best and most valuable player, and there’s nothing their bright peers can do about it.
It’s almost like having to defend them on the court:
They’re the “centers” of attention, and yet they have their way with everyone with brilliant dunks and passes as they please. Together, they present the NBA’s version of “Rampage,” and we simply have to hope the league is left standing as these two monsters battle for the recognition they deserve.
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