“The way that Ben Simmons did him in Philadelphia… Joel Embiid didn’t pout, Joel Embiid silenced all the noise” - Kendrick Perkins believes Joel Embiid will win the MVP

Joel Embiid held first place in this season's NBA MVP race, until today. Nikola Jokic surpassed the 76ers center for the first spot. In any case, it seems Kendrick Perkins is still rolling with Embiid for his pick to win MVP.

Kendrick Perkins says Joel Embiid will win 2021-22 NBA MVP Award

Perkins praised Embiid for his maturity enduring the recent Ben Simmons debacle in Philadelphia:

“The way that Ben Simmons did him in Philadelphia … Joel Embiid didn’t pout. Joel Embiid silenced all the noise.”

Kendrick Perkins is correct. When the Ben Simmons situation start to gain attention, there were no comments from Joel Embiid. He did not curse Simmons for his holdout decision. He did not use it as an excuse during losses. He rarely even nodded in the direction of the situation. We have all been well-aware of the dominance that Embiid has on the court. But what raises players to elite status is how they react during difficult situations.

Embiid showed his true colors during Ben Simmons' holdout. Even when Philadelphia traded for James Harden, there was no precursor to have even assumed the trade was going to happen until the last minute. Yet, Embiid told reports last month that he was aware Philadelphia had been eyeing Harden since the summer.

It is attitudes like these, where players show they are able to drown out the noise and focus on basketball and only basketball, where they rise to the top. Joel Embiid has been through a lot this past year insofar as losing a large secondary star to his squad, carrying the squad alone, adapting to a changing play style, and finding new chemistry with teammate James Harden. Kendrick Perkins picking him for MVP and sticking with it makes perfect sense. The man deserves it.

Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the other names in the top 3 MVP conversation, have strong arguments themselves for the award. This year's NBA MVP has panned out to be one of the closest in a long time.

In any case, Joel is currently in first place in the NBA for points per game at 30.4. Embiid is also averaging 11.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game this season, fuelling his argument for MVP. It seems that not much can stop the 76ers center this season as he continues to chase the NBA championship.

Embiid is so dialed in this season that he arguably has not even thought about the MVP award. A player with Emiid's mentality is focused on playing winning basketball and that alone. Whatever comes from his success comes, but it is not to be celebrated until the job is done. Joel is proving to have that “Mamba” mentality that Kobe Bryant showed the rest of the league. It makes sense why he is Kendrick Perkins’ pick for MVP.