"I like being the a**hole anyway" - Joel Embiid reflects on NBA MVP race, calls James Harden “best playmaker in the world”

Joel Embiid could finally get over the hump this year and dethrone Nikola Jokic, the back-to-back MVP winner. “The Process” has overtaken “The Joker” in the NBA’s latest best player of the year race.

Embiid, who has a louder and more brash personality than Jokic, doesn’t mind how critics have looked at him. He lost to the Denver Nuggets star twice for the most prestigious individual regular-season award and doesn’t have much playoff success to boast about.

Here’s the six-time All-Star, in an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic, on the MVP race and postseason success:

“I’ll be the bad guy. I like being the a**hole anyway. I like being the underdog.”

76ers’ Joel Embiid unplugged at @TheAthletic: “I’ll be the bad guy. I like being the a--hole anyway. I like being the underdog.”

Embiid on MVP race, focus on “winning, winning, winning”, James Harden as “best playmaker in the world”, more: theathletic.com/4349057/2023/0…

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers weren’t always the underdogs when it came to team playoff success. They were the top seeds in the Eastern Conference against the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 semifinals and blew several chances of winning the series.

This season, the 76ers are likely going to nail the third seed in the loaded east. Embiid and James Harden, who he calls the best playmaker in the world, are making beautiful music together.

The Sixers, though, simply cannot relax against any of their possible first-round opponents once the playoffs start. They know what it feels like to lose as the higher seed.

Perhaps embracing the underdog mentality will consistently keep them on their toes and help them emerge from their conference.

Joel Embiid was, however, the underdog yet again in this year’s MVP race. Before the All-Star break, it looked like Nikola Jokic was running away with the first-ever Michael Jordan MVP Trophy.

The Philadelphia 76ers were supposed to have the toughest schedule after the All-Star game. Embiid has just proven that he’s still in the race for the said award with a magnificent run. Philly is 11-6 after the long break behind “JoJo’s” brilliant display.

Joel Embiid is looking past being the MVP and is more focused on winning the Larry O'Brien trophy. 🏆 thesco.re/3JMJ5gb https://t.co/zWpikRSepB

Over his past 17 games, Joel Embiid is averaging an NBA-best 33.6 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 4.6 apg and 2.3 bpg. He has arguably been the best player in the league during that span.

Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets, during the same stretch, have played 15 games and have a 9-6 record. Losses to the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors, where they gave up 49 first-quarter points have loosened Jokic’s MVP stranglehold.

Joel Embiid feels no pressure to prove himself

The NBA’s must-watch game tonight will feature the visiting Philadelphia 76ers against the Denver Nuggets. This is a game that could swing votes for Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic depending on their play and the result of the battle.

Embiid insists, per Shams Charania, that he is playing without pressure despite the hyped MVP race:

"I’m not a two-time MVP, I’ve never made first team All-NBA, I’ve never won anything. So why is there pressure on me to do something when there are guys that have won two MVPs, a bunch of MVPs and haven’t done anything either?"

"I’m not a two-time MVP, I’ve never made first team All-NBA, I’ve never won anything. So why is there pressure on me to do something when there are guys that have won two MVPs, a bunch of MVPs and haven’t done anything either?"

— Joel Embiid via the @TheAthletic https://t.co/0p4xS34Ake

“The Process,” however, told Draymond Green that he played like a man possessed against the Warriors because Green said Jokic was the hardest to guard. He also completely outplayed “The Joker” in their first matchup this season last Jan. 28.

Joel Embiid may not be admitting it or saying it out loud, but he’s playing like he’s pissed off because he’s been overlooked.

Philadelphia's starting center is questionable tonight due to right calf tightness. Unless there’s a major setback, he should be in uniform tonight to prove that the first game against Nikola Jokic was no fluke. Pressure or no pressure, he’s looking to dominate the reigning and back-to-back MVP.