For ten years now, DNA of Sports has been offering you its Top 5 candidates for the “Most Valuable Player (MVP)” trophy every Tuesday. A Top 5 at the top of which we now place Joel Embiidon the basis of a historic season which has continued to be a hit without weakening since Christmas.
Evidenced by the 33.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.5 against average of the Cameroonian, since December 25 last. All at 53% on shots, 35% on 3-pts and 82% on free throws, in just 33 minutes of playing time!
Crazy numbers, which he accompanies above all with 17 wins in 23 games and which now allow him to pass Nikola Jokic, certainly not outdone statistically either, in our race for MVP 2022.
Seventh in 2019 and second in 2021 (behind… Nikola Jokic), Joel Embiid therefore has every chance of finishing at the top of the ballot for this prestigious Maurice Podoloff statuette.
They are in any case only very few to be able to prevent it and to be able to compete with its current level of play. A dantesque level of play, which earned him in particular to register at least 25 points for 23 games, with disconcerting ease. No matter the name of his opponent and no matter the two-man strikes.
In line with the greatest pivots in history
Mix of Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon for some coaches, anomaly of his position for others, the franchise player of the Sixers is simply in the shape of his life. So much so that, despite a timid start to the campaign (22.0 points on average, 41% on shots, in his first 12 games of the season), the 27-year-old dominates the ranking of the league’s top scorers to date. !
With 29.5 points per game, Joel Embiid actually leads Giannis Antetokounmpo (29.0) by a short head, but also Kevin Durant (29.3) and LeBron James (29.0), who are however no longer eligible for this statistic, due to a number of insufficient matches.
Thus, if he continues on his crazy momentum, “JoJo” would become the 10th kingpin in history (and only the 3rd, since the 1976 ABA/NBA merger) to complete #1 of this statistical category. It would also be a first since Shaquille O’Neal, in 2000. That is the year of his only MVP title…
The pivots leading scorers in the league
1949 —George Mikan (28.3)
1950 —George Mikan (27.4)
1951 —George Mikan (28.4)
1953 — Neil Johnston (22.3)
1954 — Neil Johnston (24.4)
1955 — Neil Johnston (22.7)
1956 — Bob Pettit (25.7)
1960 —Wilt Chamberlain (37.6)
1961 —Wilt Chamberlain (38.4)
1962 —Wilt Chamberlain (50.4)
1963 —Wilt Chamberlain (44.8)
1964 —Wilt Chamberlain (36.9)
1965 —Wilt Chamberlain (34.7)
1966 —Wilt Chamberlain (33.5)
1969 — Elvin Hayes (28.9)
1971 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31.7)
1972 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (34.8)
1974 —Bob McAdoo (30.6)
1975 —Bob McAdoo (34.5)
1976 —Bob McAdoo (31.1)
1994 —David Robinson (29.8)
1995 — Shaquille O’Neal (29.3)
2000 — Shaquille O’Neal (29.7)
[2022 — Joel Embiid (29.5)]
For comparison, 7 point guards, 8 backs, 10 wingers and 2 power forwards have also already risen to the top of the league’s leading scorer rankings. With the outsides (leaders, fullbacks or wingers) gradually getting their hands on this individual distinction, while the dominance of the insides diminished over the years.
Furthermore, note as a bonus that the 29.5 points per game for Joel Embiid this season allow him, for the time being, to establish the 4th highest average of a pivot, in scoring, since that famous ABA/NBA merger of 1976. , not impossible to win, ahead of David Robinson and Shaquille O’Neal…
Top 10 pivot scoring averages, over a season
(since the 1976 ABA/NBA merger)
31.1 —Moses Malone (1981/82)
29.8 —David Robinson (1993/94)
29.7 —Shaquille O’Neal (1999/00)
[29.5 — Joel Embiid (2021/22)]
29.3 —Shaquille O’Neal (1993/94)
29.3 —Shaquille O’Neal (1994/95)
28.7 —Shaquille O’Neal (2000/01)
28.6 —Patrick Ewing (1989/90)
28.5 — Joel Embiid (2020/21)
28.3 —Shaquille O’Neal (1997/98)
A generational talent
But the most impressive thing about Joel Embiid’s performances this season, and more generally since his debut in the NBA, is probably the fact that he is lining up monster numbers without playing a lot (31 minutes of career play), compared to other legends of the sport (or legends in the making?).
Devilishly effective, both when reporting his statistics over 36 minutes or over 100 possessions, in order to put everyone on an equal footing, the Cameroonian is above all one of the best shooters in history in his position, when we dwell on the famous ” true shooting percentage (TS%). In other words, the most reliable indicator for measuring a player’s overall shooting efficiency.
The term “generational talent” can therefore be perfectly applied to him here.
Top 10 career point averages, reported over 36 minutes
(minimum 100 games played)
29.7 —Joel Embiid
28.3—Michael Jordan
28.1 —George Gervin
27.8 — Luka Doncic
26.8 — Trae Young
26.6 — Kevin Durant
26.1—James Harden
25.8—Freeman Williams
25.5—LeBron James
25.5—Stephen Curry
Top 10 career point averages, reported on 100 possessions
(minimum 100 games played)
40.4—Michael Jordan
39.9 —Joel Embiid
37.8 —Luka Doncic
37.0 —Kevin Durant
36.6—LeBron James
35.8—Kobe Bryant
35.7—James Harden
35.4—Trae Young
35.3—George Gervin
35.2—Shaquille O’Neal
Top 10 of the best “TS%” in career, among pivots
(minimum 500 attempts at 3-pts)
62.2 — Karl-Anthony Towns
61.9 —Nikola Jokic
59.8 —Joel Embiid
59.5 — Dewayne Dedmon
59.0 — Domantas Sabonis
58.8 —Mike Muscala
58.8—Meyers Leonard
58.7 —Kelly Olynyk
57.4 — Myles Turner
57.1—Chris Bosh
James Harden as a poll arbiter?
It remains to be seen whether the arrival of James Harden will weigh, or not, on the chances of coronation of Joel Embiid. Collectively, they are necessarily found only tenfold. Individually, however, the 2018 MVP could overshadow the cornerstone of the Philadelphia “Process”, if he finds his level of yesteryear, his Rockets years or his first weeks with the Nets.
If he puts himself, as imagined, at the service of the leader of the Sixers, the triple best scorer in the league (2018, 2019, 2020) should nevertheless further magnify the game of his new teammate, who should then be able to take off in accounting terms. , in addition to being supplied with balloons by a renowned creator.
The perfect recipe for Joel Embiid to add his name to the MVP trophy list? It would be the 15th pivot to achieve this and it would be the first time since 1994 (Hakeem Olajuwon) and 1995 (David Robinson) that two 5 positions have won this title two years in a row, after the crowning of Nikola Jokic in 2021.
Proof of the return to the front of the stage of the interiors, in addition to confirming the evolution of the balance of power between the American players and the international players?
The pivots elected MVP
1956 —Bob Pettit
1958 —Bill Russell
1960 —Wilt Chamberlain
1961 —Bill Russell
1962 —Bill Russell
1963 —Bill Russell
1965 —Bill Russell
1966 —Wilt Chamberlain
1967 —Wilt Chamberlain
1968 —Wilt Chamberlain
1969 —Wes Unseld
1970 —Willis Reed
1971 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1972 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1973 —Dave Cowens
1974 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1975 —Bob McAdoo
1976 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1977 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1978 —Bill Walton
1979 —Moses Malone
1980 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1982 —Moses Malone
1983 —Moses Malone
1994 —Hakeem Olajuwon
1995 —David Robinson
2000 —Shaquille O’Neal
2021 —Nikola Jokic
1 – Joel Embiid (Sixers)
Assessment: 34 wins, 22 losses – 4th in the East.
Matches: 44 disputed out of 56 possible.
Statistics: 29.5 pts, 11.2 reb, 4.5 pds, 1.0 int, 1.5 ctr and 2.9 pdb in 33 min.
Percentages: 49% on shots, 36% at 3-pts and 81% on throws.
2 – Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
Assessment: 32 wins, 25 losses – 6th in the West.
Matches: 51 disputed out of 57 possible.
Statistics: 25.8 pts, 13.7 reb, 7.9 pds, 1.4 int, 0.7 ctr and 3.8 pdb in 33 min.
Percentages: 57% shooting, 37% 3-point and 81% throwing.
3 – DeMar DeRozan (Bulls)
Assessment: 37 wins, 21 losses – 2nd in the East.
Matches: 54 disputed out of 58 possible.
Statistics: 27.9 pts, 5.2 reb, 5.1 pds, 0.9 int, 0.3 ctr and 2.3 pdb in 36 min.
Percentages: 52% on shots, 34% at 3-pts and 86% on throws.
4 – Chris Paul (Suns)
Assessment: 46 wins, 10 losses – 1st in the West.
Matches: 56 disputed out of 56 possible.
Statistics: 15.0 pts, 4.5 reb, 10.7 pds, 1.9 int, 0.3 ctr and 2.4 pdb in 33 min.
Percentages: 49% on shots, 34% at 3-pts and 84% on throws.
5 – Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
Assessment: 35 wins, 23 losses – 5th in the East.
Matches: 47 disputed out of 58 possible.
Statistics: 29.0 pts, 11.2 reb, 6.0 pds, 1.0 int, 1.4 ctr and 3.3 pdb in 33 min.
Percentages: 54% on shots, 30% at 3-pts and 72% on throws.
Mentions : Stephen Curry (Warriors), Devin Booker (Suns), Ja Morant (Grizzlies), Luka Doncic (Mavericks)…
True shooting percentage (TS%) : this equation is used to calculate the overall address of a player, or a team, taking into consideration 2-pt shots, 3-pt shots and free throws. The calculation formula is as follows: TS% = (points scored / 2 * [tirs tentés + 0.44 * {lancers-francs tentés}]) * 100.
