Sixers: Does Jamal Murray’s injury help Joel Embiid’s MVP case?
The torn ACL tear suffered by the Denver Nuggets’ star point guard in Jamal Murray was devastating for the upcoming star and his franchise. We here at The Sixer Sense certainly wish him a speedy recovery.
That being written, it’s important how this injury impact that MVP race. More importantly whether or not it will impact the Sixers’ superstar Joel Embiid‘s chances of getting back into the top of the race. It could be argued that this injury to the Nugget’s second best player could help Embiid become the front runner for the MVP award again.
Sixers’ star Embiid could become the front runner for MVP because of Murray’s injury.
To be clear, the reason why Embiid’s not the current front runner is that he recently missed 10 games due to a knee injury. Between injuries and COVID-19 protocols Embiid has missed a total of 18 games and in a season when teams only play 72 games instead of 82 games that is a major factor.
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However, Embiid’s still the most dominant player on both sides of the ball this season whenever he does play. He’s averaging 29.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks, while shooting 51.6 percent from the floor, 38.9 percent from the 3-point line, and 85.3 percent from the foul line.
It’s hard to argue that he’s not an MVP when he’s healthy and as of now the Philadelphia 76ers are still the number one team in the Eastern Conference. Despite all of those factors, Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets is the current front runner and his stats make a solid case for him per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Jokic is averaging 26.0 points, 10.9 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.5 steals, while converting 56.4 percent from the field, 41.8 percent from deep, and 85.3 percent from the free throw line. Prior to Murray’s injury, the two knocks against Jokic for MVP were that he’s not above average defensively and the Nuggets are currently fourth in the Western Conference standings.
Now that Murray will miss the rest of the season, the Nuggets could slide down the bottom half of the playoff bracket out West. It’s unjustifiable to give the MVP award to Jokic if the Nuggets lose their spot in the standings.
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There is a path for Embiid to be a favorite to still win MVP. If he stays healthy the rest of the season and the Nuggets slip in the standings due to Murray’s injury, it’s hard to argue against the Sixers’ superstar of winning his first MVP award.