Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid deserves Defensive Player of the Year too

In case you haven’t heard, I have some bad news for you: Joel Embiid has officially come in second for the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award.

I know, I know, I hate it too; it’s been proven over and over again that the Philadelphia 76ers go from a play-in team to a legitimate title contender based on whether or not Embiid is available in any given game, but for one reason or another, be it the presence of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the East or the advanced analytics that have shown favorably on Nikola Jokic, more voters pledged their vote to the Serbian Nugget over South Philly’s favorite Cameroonian Mountain Dew endorsee.

Sidebar: Something tells me Embiid will have something to say about being the NBA’s most valuable bridesmaid in Game 5, especially since Jokic will be watching the game from home.

Unfortunate? You bet; Joel Embiid left his heart and soul on the court for the Philadelphia 76ers this season and deserved more national appreciation for his efforts, but do you know what? That isn’t the only award “The Process” should have won this season. No, if the playoffs have solidified anything, it’s that JoJo is not only the best overall player in the NBA, but a defensive force the likes of which we haven’t seen in some time.

Joel Embiid is providing elite defensive production for the Philadelphia 76ers.

No offense to Marcus Smart, but his case for Defensive Player of the Year is sort of suspect.

Yes, he’s a great defender who can cover one-through-four, is a good backcourt rebounder, and averaged 1.7 steals per game, which is tied with Matisse Thybulle for the third-best mark in the NBA, but he doesn’t rank in the top-10 in defensive win shares, in FiveThirtyEight’s Defensive Raptor rating, or in Cleaning The Glass’ points per 100 possessions statistics.

As a matter a fact as it may sound, Smart largely won his award based on his reputation, and while he is undoubtedly deserving of a spot on an All-NBA team, a feat he’s accomplished in two of his last three seasons, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in a season where he didn’t even rank first on his own team in defensive win shares is pretty darn unusual.

Joel Embiid, unsurprisingly, finished first on the Philadelphia 76ers in defensive win shares, and for good reason: Doc Rivers’ defense runs through his best player.

Whether tasked with protecting the rim, going out on the perimeter to defend forwards like Giannis Antekoumpo, or even switching onto guards like Kyle Lowry or Trae Young, Embiid can lock down any player in the association for a single possession and has the size, length, and athleticism to contest any shot that goes up if he’s close enough to the basket, as his impressive highlight reel of blocks will happily prove.

A master of the drop coverage, Embiid has mere moments to decide what to do on any given drive, and yet, despite having more defensive responsibilities than any other player on the court for the Sixers, he still ranks in the 84th percentile as a pick-and-roll roll man defender and in the 99th percentile as a pick-and-roll ball-handler defender.

Whether on ball or off, in man or zone coverage, Embiid has proven himself the rare NBA center who can not only shut down opposing scorers in the painted area or out of it, but then jog down the court and put points on the board with an offensive package the likes of which no other player in the association can match.

Huh, if Embiid is that good on offense and defense, maybe he should be the NBA’s MVP…

In the grand scheme of things, does the player that wins the MVP really matter? No… but in a way, yes. It matters to history, to the record books, and to the players themselves, as no one likes to sacrifice, struggle, and put in the work only to be overlooked for who knows why. For all of our sakes, let’s hope the Philadelphia 76ers make it out of the East and finally bring a championship back to the City of Brotherly Love, as it gives Joel Embiid one final chance to take an MVP award home, even if he really deserves a regular season MVP and a Defensive Player of the Year award for his efforts too.