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Kevin Durant Says Joel Embiid Should Be MVP But Gives 1 Reason Why He Won’t Win The Award

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  • Kevin Durant believes Joel Embiid should be the NBA MVP
  • But he doesn’t think he’ll win the award for one reason
  • Read more NBA news here

The NBA MVP decision is coming down to the wire.

It appears that the nomination has become a two-man race. Those two players are last year’s MVP, Nikola Jokic, and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid.

Embiid seemed to have a commanding lead midway through the season, but his stock has dropped since the 76ers’ trading of teammate James Harden.

Over that time, Jokic has pulled ahead with his late season performance helping the Nuggets secure the six seed in the playoffs.

As it stands, the Denver center closed with -275 odds while Embiid came in at +250, according to BetMGM. Both were well ahead of third place candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo.

While it looks like the award is now Jokic’s to lose, one Nets’ superstar believes that Embiid should be the MVP.

Kevin Durant Picks Joel Embiid As MVP But Thinks One Thing Will Hold Him Back

Kevin Durant believes that Embiid should be the MVP.

And he’s certainly got the stats to back it up. The big man is averaging 30.6 points per game to go along with 11.7 boards. When compared to Jokic’s 27.1 points and 13.8 rebounds, it’s not too far off.

Embiid has been one of the most efficient scorers in the game this season, but Durant believes it’s not necessarily his play that will hold him back from winning the award.

“In Joel’s case, more people like Giannis and Jokic. It’s as simple as that.”

Embiid can have a combative personality on the court, at times. He, too, has said that the voters “hate him” compared to the rest of the candidates.

We’ll see if he’s able to overcome the aversion and land an MVP in 2022.