MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – FEBRUARY 17: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts to an officials call during the second half of a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on February 17, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Why Joel Embiid is (and is not) the NBA MVP this season. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The NBA MVP race is one of the most talked-about award races in all of professional sports. And this year, there are about eight different players who have a case to win it.
While some consider Joel Embiid to be the favorite, others think Nikola Jokic deserves the award. Cases can be made for guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry, too.
So with the season entering the second half of the year, why not start taking a look at some of the top cases to win the award? What are some of the main reasons these players should (and should not win) win the NBA MVP?
Let’s start with who many consider to be the frontrunner to win the award – Embiid. What are two reasons he deserves to win it and one reason he doesn’t?
Why Joel Embiid is (and is not) the NBA MVP this season: Why – Dominance
This is by far the most obvious reason, and one that probably doesn’t even need to be said, but let’s mention it anyway – Joel Embiid has been absolutely dominant this season.
He is now leading the league in scoring (29.6 points), tied for seventh in rebounds (11.2 rebounds), and can do a little bit of everything when on the court.
There’s no one in the NBA who can guard him right now, and while some teams can certainly slow him down, those games are far and few in between.
As Embiid said himself, he’s like prime Shaquille O’Neal with the handles of a guard. While he may not be quite at Shaq’s level yet, he’s certainly getting there.
<span class="call_to_action">Also:</span> NBA MVP Ladder - Top 5 MVP candidates at the All-Star break </a> </div>
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<h2>Why Joel Embiid is (and is not) the NBA MVP this season: Why – Dominance</h2>
<p>This is by far the most obvious reason, and one that probably doesn’t even need to be said, but let’s mention it anyway – Joel Embiid has been absolutely dominant this season.</p>
<p>He is now leading the league in scoring (29.6 points), tied for seventh in rebounds (11.2 rebounds), and can do a little bit of everything when on the court.</p>
<p>There’s no one in the NBA who can guard him right now, and while some teams can certainly slow him down, those games are far and few in between.</p>
<p>As Embiid said himself, he’s like prime Shaquille O’Neal with the handles of a guard. While he may not be quite at Shaq’s level yet, he’s certainly getting there.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/02/18/joel-embiid-nba-mvp/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Why Embiid is not the MVP </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-441990" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/02/18/joel-embiid-nba-mvp/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1300746307-1.jpeg" alt="Why Joel Embiid is (and is not) the NBA MVP this season" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1300746307-1.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1300746307-1-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – FEBRUARY 06: James Harden #13 of the Brooklyn Nets smiles towards Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center on February 06, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Why Joel Embiid is (and is not) the NBA MVP this season. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Why Joel Embiid is (and is not) the NBA MVP this season: Why not – James Harden</h2>
<p>While this, obviously, has not impacted his case yet, it almost surely will. Up to this point, Joel Embiid has been on his own (more on that to come), but now he’ll have a co-star.</p>
<p>James Harden is a top-ten player in the NBA when he’s at his peak. He may not have looked like that guy while with the Brooklyn Nets this season, but who knows if he could get back to that point.</p>
<p>First and foremost, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/02/18/joel-embiid-nba-mvp/"https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33260613/brooklyn-nets-trade-james-harden-philadelphia-76ers-ben-simmons-seth-curry-andre-drummond-sources-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the addition of Harden to the roster</a> will undoubtedly take touches away from Embiid. He’s one of the most ball-dominant players in NBA history – that’s just going to happen.</p>
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<p>While Embiid is definitely set to benefit from Harden’s ball dominance, he won’t have the ball in his hands as much. That alone will hurt his counting stats.</p>
<p>Plus, up to this point in the season, Embiid has had the freedom to do whatever he wants. He can pull up from three, get deep in the post, and even bring the ball up the court.</p>
<p>With Harden by his side, he’s going to end up in a pick-n-roll offense almost every time down the floor. It might help the team, but it could also hurt Embiid’s MVP case if he’s not dominating as he has thus far.</p>
<p>Embiid shouldn’t be concerned with the NBA MVP Award, he should care about winning, which Harden helps him do. That being said, Harden also hurts his MVP chances a bit.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/02/18/joel-embiid-nba-mvp/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Why Embiid is the MVP </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – FEBRUARY 15: Derrick White #9 of the Boston Celtics steals the ball from Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center on February 15, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Why Joel Embiid is (and is not) the NBA MVP this season. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Why Joel Embiid is (and is not) the NBA MVP this season: Why – Alone</h2>
<p>When looking across the league at potential NBA MVP candidates, there aren’t many who have carried their team quite as much as Joel Embiid has. (And yes, obviously he won’t be alone for much longer, but regardless.)</p>
<p>With Ben Simmons not playing and some of his teammates struggling, Embiid has stepped up in a big way. His ability to put the team on his back has been on full display this season.</p>
<p>Tobias Harris’ points total might look high, but he’s been struggling mightily with efficiency this year. There’s no telling how well he’s going to shoot on a night-to-night basis.</p>
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<p>Tyrese Maxey has certainly been a major help to Embiid, but if you had told Philadelphia 76ers fans that Embiid’s best co-star would be Maxey at the start of the year, most of them might have panicked.</p>
<p>That’s not a knock on Maxey, but just stating that Embiid doesn’t have the All-Star cast that a lot of other star players around the NBA do.</p>
<p>Stephen Curry has Draymond Green, Chris Paul has Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo has Khris Middleton. The list goes on and on, and even the star players that don’t have another All-Star with them often have a much deeper team than the Sixers do.</p>
<p>Plus, now that the team traded away Seth Curry and Andre Drummond, they are going to have even less depth than before. And with Drummond gone, even more pressure will be put on Embiid to carry the center position.</p>
<p>Embiid has been dominant, and he’s been dominant on a team where he is (or was) the only star. That often counts for a lot when it comes to NBA MVP voting.</p>
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