“I think Joker is probably No. 1 right now" - Boston Celtics player controversially leaves Joel Embiid out of MVP conversation

Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon thinks Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic is the favorite to be the 2022-23 NBA MVP

The MVP race for this year is as open as it can possibly be. A number of contenders have emerged and re-emerged over the past few months, with quite a few injuries also playing a part.

Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry have produced big numbers but have had injury issues. Still, most opinions currently seem to be limited to Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Jayson Tatum is also having a big season, although the Boston Celtics have lost some ground to the Milwaukee Bucks in the East. All these players are crucial to their teams’ chances of being successful in the postseason. While Malcolm Brogdon understandably included Jayson Tatum as one of his favorites, the 30-year old believes Nikola Jokic is the favorite as of now:

“I think Joker is probably No. 1 right now. He’s having another incredible superb season, but I think that Giannis and JT are in that conversation as well. I think that they’re both having great seasons.”

Brogdon included both Tatum and Giannis in the race, but ended up skipping Joel Embiid, who is also having a huge season on both ends of the court.

Joel Embiid deserves to be part of NBA MVP conversation

Giannis Antetokounmpo is producing MVP numbers but is not leading the rankings. Nikola Jokic has been a constant menace, along with Joel Embiid is one of the two centers who are in contention this year.

The Boston Celtics also have their own legitimate contenders in Jayson Tatum, with Luka Doncic, Devin Booker and Damian Lillard also popping into the race at different points this season.

While both Giannis and Jokic might be closer to winning the title according to Brogdon, Joel Embiid might be right in feeling hard done by. The big man is producing a career-high 33.6 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He is shooting at a career-high 57.1%.

The same is true for Giannis, who also has a career-high scoring average (31.3 ppg) and has helped his team to the top of the Eastern Conference.

Embiid produced a big performance against Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets earlier this season and is currently leading the line. He has produced an unbelievable efficiency of more than 66% this season and only needs to continue in the same vein to land the MVP title.