Kansas basketball: Joel Embiid the early favorite for NBA MVP

After the early NBA MVP ballots were released, it is clear that former Kansas basketball player Joel Embiid is the man to beat for the award.

If one person, in particular, is making an example of what Kansas basketball’s tradition is in the NBA, it is Joel Embiid. There is nobody in the game of basketball doing what he is day in and day out at such a high level, and it is entertaining seeing how former Jayhawks grow into mature athletes. Embiid has flat-out turned into an animal.

Embiid is in his seventh year with the Philadelphia 76ers, and it feels like he finds a way to improve every year — so much so he has been considered highly for the Most Valuable Player award for three consecutive seasons.

During his 2022-23 campaign, he averaged 33.1 points per game. It earned him the league’s scoring title for the second straight year. He also averaged 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting 54.8 percent on field goal attempts. Whether driving to the hoop for a vicious dunk, blocking opposing players’ shots, or shooting the ball from behind the arc, Embiid has excelled. The MVP should be rightfully his soon enough after finishing as a runner-up to Nikola Jokic twice.

Not only is Embiid seeing individual success, but his 76ers team also finished with a 54-28 record this season. The win total gave them the three-seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, as they will play the six-seeded Brooklyn Nets in a best-of-seven-game series.

While Embiid is considered the favorite to win the award, the other two guys up for the MVP running are Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. All three were announced as the finalists a few days ago.

During his prolonged period of success, he has put himself in a position to be “the guy” in the league for an extended period. The game is better with Joel Embiid as a part of it, and he is yet another former Jayhawk that has shined in the NBA.

Embiid went to KU for a lone year and averaged 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds. He made the 2013-14 All-Big 12 team and the Big 12 All-Defense team. Additionally, he won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Without a doubt, Embiid has grown into a better version of himself at the NBA level, but some credit belongs to Bill Self and his staff. KU set him up to become a first-round draft pick, and now, the rest is history.

He is one of the greatest athletes ever to step foot on the floor for Kansas basketball, and at this point, it feels like he is a lock to be a future NBA Hall of Famer.