Joel Embiid – If I can not meet sport threshold for MVP, ‘so be it’

PHILADELPHIA — Reigning league MVP Joel Embiid returned from his newest damage to attain 41 factors and seize 10 rebounds in main the Philadelphia 76ers to a 124-115 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday.

Embiid’s 17 straight video games with 30 factors are a franchise file. He earned his seventh 40-point double-double this season, essentially the most within the NBA. Embiid now has 42 video games of not less than 40 factors and 10 rebounds, the seventh most in NBA historical past.

His absences, although, have piled up, inserting his candidacy for one more MVP trophy on the rocks. He can miss solely eight extra video games out of the ultimate 44 earlier than he’s now not eligible for MVP.

“It would not matter what number of video games I play; the purpose is to be wholesome the remainder of the 12 months,” Embiid stated Monday.

Embiid’s well being is after all essential to a Philadelphia workforce hopeful of a deep playoff run. Embiid has by no means had a totally wholesome postseason marketing campaign, the important thing cause the franchise hasn’t superior out of the second spherical in his tenure.

The brand new collective bargaining settlement requires gamers, in most situations, to play in 65 regular-season video games to be eligible for awards corresponding to MVP or the All-NBA groups. Embiid, who’s enjoying in his eighth NBA season, has met that threshold solely twice — when he performed a career-best 68 video games in 2021-22 and 66 video games final season, when he gained his first MVP award.

“I’ve already executed it,” Embiid stated. “If I’ve an opportunity to get a second one, I am going to do it. I am not going to drive myself or push for it. My sport is at all times going to talk for itself. We’re successful. That is the primary factor. We have to maintain successful and you set within the stats to be within the [MVP] dialog that is nice, too. However on the finish of the day, if there’s one thing happening, and I can not meet the requirement for the quantity of video games performed to qualify for that, then so be it.”

Embiid, 29, sat out the previous three video games with left knee irritation, and the 76ers went 1-2. He had performed simply two video games this month after he missed all 4 contests on the 76ers’ vacation highway journey.

The Sixers are 3-7 this season with out Embiid — the two-time defending league scoring champion — and 22-6 with him.

When wholesome — or, wholesome sufficient — Embiid makes the sport look simple and makes the Sixers seem like contenders. If his knee nonetheless ached on Monday, it did not present in a 13-point first quarter. Embiid certain seemed tremendous when he dropped one other 13 within the second quarter and grabbed his tenth rebound within the fourth earlier than testing for good with the Sixers up 114-94.

“We take a look at the long term and what’s arising subsequent,” Embiid stated. “Hopefully it would not swell up once more.”

Embiid indicated he’ll be prepared for his twenty ninth sport of the 12 months Tuesday in an anticipated dwelling matchup towards two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Embiid — who missed his total first two seasons with accidents — was roasted by some media final March when he sat out towards the Nuggets with a sore proper calf. Jokic had 25 and 17 in a Denver win.

“Joel Embiid is ducking that smoke immediately and also you all understand how I really feel about Joel Embiid,” ESPN analyst and former NBA middle Kendrick Perkins stated.

Embiid dismissed that criticism final 12 months — and extra that has surfaced this season as his absences improve — and says he’ll play when he is wholesome sufficient to play.

He additionally downplayed Tuesday was a Jokic-Embiid showdown. The main target wanted to remain on the 76ers vs. the Nuggets.

“They’re greatest workforce within the league, greatest participant within the league and we have got to attempt to do our greatest to get a win,” he stated. “It is enjoyable. I just like the competitors. Who would not need to play towards the very best?”

The Related Press contributed to this report.