CLEVELAND — Joel Embiid arrived at All-Star Weekend at the top of the race for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award. And when asked to make his case at Saturday’s Media Day, the 76ers’ center said “the way I’ve been playing speaks for itself.”
“Especially with everything we went through,” Embiid said, “the drama this whole year, and obviously missing a big piece [Ben Simmons] … I really had to take my game to another level, whether it’s offensively, defensively or playmaking.”
Embiid entered the All-Star break leading the league in scoring at 29.6 points per game — a rarity for a center — while also averaging 11.2 rebounds and a career-high 4.5 assists per game while shooting 49.5% from the floor and 36.9% from 3-point distance. His team has ascended to third place in the tightly packed Eastern Conference standings at 35-23, and will be a major storyline down the stretch following last week’s blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets that brought 10-time All-Star James Harden to Philly in exchange for Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round draft picks.
