PHILADELPHIA — Nikola Jokić has amassed the most triple-doubles in a single postseason in league history while leading the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA Finals appearance. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid struggled when the 76ers needed him the most while suffering a third straight second-round playoff exit.
Those distinctly opposite performances have led to critics asking whether Embiid deserved to win this season’s MVP award. Jokić, the runner-up, is not among them.
“People are just mean in saying that Embiid shouldn’t have won it,” said Jokić, who won the award in 2021 and 2022. “I think he should [have] won it. I think he was playing, if you watch it, extremely, extremely, tough basketball through the whole season.
“I don’t want to say that playoffs doesn’t mean anything in that, but he was really amazing in 82 games or how many games he played.”
Earlier this month, Embiid became the first Sixer to win the award since Hall of Famer Allen Iverson in 2001, and only the fifth MVP in franchise history. Embiid received 915 points and 73 first-place votes from the media to win. Jokić was a distant second with 674 points and 15 first-place votes.
But it wasn’t surprising, as Embiid overcame injuries while turning his 2022-23 season into his best year.
He won a second straight scoring title by averaging 33.1 points and was eighth in rebounds (10.2) and seventh in blocks (1.7). Embiid, who played in 66 games, was also named Eastern Conference player of the month three times.
However, his numbers dipped to 23.7 points and 9.8 rebounds in the postseason. He also shot 43.1% from the field, including 17.9% on 3-pointers. And he was, once again, injured in the postseason. Embiid missed two games with a sprained right knee.
Despite his regular-season performance, Embiid’s season will likely be remembered for his being held to 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting in a Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. This came after the Sixers lost in the second round to the Miami Heat last season and to the Atlanta Hawks in 2021.
Meanwhile, Jokić has averaged 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 10.3 assists through 13 playoff games.
