Nikola Jokic expressed his admiration for his colleague and fellow NBA MVP, Joel Embiid, during the post-game news conference. When addressing to the media for the final time on Saturday, the Joker reiterated past comments and stated why everyone should be paying attention to what’s going on in Philadelphia.
“I have nothing against him, and I believe he’s an excellent player. If you’re a fan of basketball, soccer, horse racing, the Denver Nuggets, the Philadelphia Eagles, anybody, foes, or anything, I believe you should admire what he is doing. He’s placing history in front of us, and he makes it look so simple.”
Regardless of the myths generated by the media and fans, Nikola Jokic has no hatred for Embiid. Despite the fact that they are competing for the same honors, he appears to have a great deal of regard and respect for his work. With no Embiid yesterday night, we missed out on seeing the game’s two best players in action, but the best may be yet to come if Philadelphia makes it to the NBA Finals.
Jokic and Embiid rule the NBA.
Nikola and Joel have swapped MVP honors over the last three seasons, and they are expected to fight for the award again this season as the two front-runners. Meanwhile, the Nuggets and 76ers are near the top of their respective conferences and appear to be real playoff contenders. For the fourth year in a row, the league may be dominated by large men, and this could continue for several years.
Despite winning the championship and solidifying his status as Finals MVP, Nikola Jokic hasn’t lost a stride this season and continues to dominate with the same energy and consistency as the previous four years. At 32-15, the Nuggets are heavily favored to win the West this season, and it will take an extraordinary performance on both ends of the court to defeat them in a best-of-seven series.
Joel Embiid is making history.
With season averages of 36.0 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 34.2 minutes per game, Embiid is presently averaging the most points per minute of any player in history, and he is swiftly establishing himself as one of the best scoring bigs in NBA history. Nobody has been able to stop him this season, which is why the 76ers are third in the East despite losing James Harden over the summer. In short, Joel is on another level right now, and even his main adversary, Nikola Jokic, recognizes that it ought to be honored.
The challenge for Joel is whether he can back up his regular-season success with a playoff win. To date, Embiid has yet to reach the Conference Finals, and there are genuine concerns about his ability to perform when the stakes are high. Only time will tell how Nikola Jokic performs under the spotlight this spring, but he isn’t taking his game for granted, and neither should anybody else.