PHILADELPHIA — Nikola Jokić has amassed the most triple-doubles in a single postseason in league history while leading the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA Finals appearance. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid struggled when the 76ers needed him the most while suffering a third straight second-round playoff exit.
Those distinctly opposite performances have led to critics asking whether Embiid deserved to win this season’s MVP award. Jokić, the runner-up, is not among them.
“People are just mean in saying that Embiid shouldn’t have won it,” said Jokić, who won the award in 2021 and 2022. “I think he should [have] won it. I think he was playing, if you watch it, extremely, extremely, tough basketball through the whole season.
