"If Joel doesn't win MVP I'm gonna snap... He's a 7-foot Kobe Bryant" - Philadelphia 76ers forward makes a case for his teammate Joel Embiid to win the coveted trophy
Philadelphia 76ers teammate Georges Niang stated that Joel Embiid plays like a bigger version of former Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant.
Embiid has replicated some of the moves the Mamba used in his playing days, and this has definitely helped him become more lethal.
Niang has been advocating for his teammate to win the trophy and in his latest interview on the First Time, Long Time show he said:
"If Joel doesn't win MVP, I'm gonna snap.
Joel Embiid was at his best during the 2021-22 NBA season. He became the first center since Shaquille O'Neal to win the scoring title. While wreaking havoc on defenses across the league, Embiid averaged 30.6 PPG and 11.7 RPG. He made a strong case for winning the MVP award.
Niang was very direct about his opinion that Embiid should be awarded the trophy. The 28-year-old explained why the big man deserves the honor. Niang said:
"We started of the year like 8-2, then we had like a massive Covid strike, like literally we were wiped out like the whole team and he just found a way to pummel teans with like 40 and 10, 40 and 15 then 40 and 20 the other night and it's like you look at him, he's just like a seven foot Kobe Bryant. You look at the stuff he does with the ball, like step back, I mean, I don't know it bothers me and maybe I'm biased because I'm on the team but honestly and I've seen a lot of players and he's got to be the MVP."
Georges Niang on Joel Embiid: ‘He’s a 7-foot Kobe Bryant’ lakersdaily.com/georges-niang-…
Joel Embiid missed out on the trophy last season because of how many games he missed. He has played in an adequate number of games this year, but faces strong competition from his rivals Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
There is no doubt that this race is going to be a tough one, but with the way Embiid has handled himself and the team after all the controversy, he definitely deserves strong consideration.
How important is Joel Embiid in the Philadelphia 76ers' playoff run?
The Philadelphia 76ers are set to face the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs. They lost three games against Toronto during the regular season and are well versed in how dangerous they can be.
Going into the series, the 76ers are already at a disadvantage as they will be playing without their primary defender, Matisse Thybulle. Without him, their defense will be weakened, but the team still has Joel Embiid, who they can rely on to deliver.
-NBA scoring champ
-First center to average 30+PPG since 1982
-Most 40/10 games in a season in NBA history
...all while getting double & triple teamed.
@JoelEmbiid https://t.co/OnCmLrv1YW
The big man is coming off the best season of his career and will certainly be looking to continue his dominance in the playoffs. They also have a former MVP guard in James Harden, who can score points with ease.
The ten-time All-Star did not end the 2021-22 campaign on a high note and was called out by many NBA experts for his lack of interest. Harden will be looking to bring in his best in the postseason and prove the notion of him struggling in the playoffs wrong.
Joel Embiid is officially the scoring champ.
— First center to do it since Shaq
— First international player to do it
— First center with 30 PPG under 40 MPG https://t.co/s9dMymsrmt
The duo of James Harden and Joel Embiid played well in the initial games. If they are able to run it back, the 76ers can cause a lot of problems for the Raptors in the first round.
Philly starts firing once they find their rhythm and if they do that in the postseason, it will be difficult for the other teams in the East to stop them.