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Former NBA coach, George Karl, recently advocated for Nikola Jokic to win the MVP award, but in doing so, he criticized Joel Embiid, the star player for the Philadelphia 76ers. Karl seemed to suggest that praising Jokic’s game meant he had to downplay Embiid’s abilities, although this is not necessarily the case. The race for the NBA MVP award is heating up and generating a lot of debate among fans and experts alike.

During a recent interview, George Karl was asked who he would choose as the MVP for this season. Instead of simply explaining why he believed Nikola Jokic deserved the award, Karl took the opportunity to express some negative opinions about Joel Embiid, the star player for the Philadelphia 76ers.

“To me, I don’t want to bad mouth Embiid because I think he’s really, really good,” Karl began. “A lot of my assistant coaches were in Philadelphia when he was a young player and they kept telling me he’s going to be the best guy to ever play the game. I see him moving in that direction. But he takes too many possessions off. He has lazy body language. He gets angry at things that we don’t understand why. I just don’t know if he’s that NBA pro that we all love because he’s a competitive SOB and he’s tough.”

Karl continued.

“From what I know in Philadelphia everybody says he’s playing great,” he said. ‘The games I’ve seen he’s played really really well. He’s played great in the fourth quarters with a lot of comeback wins. But I can only like one big guy and I’m going to take Jokic over Embiid.”

Yes, Karl’s assessment of the MVP race was indeed unusual. He did not provide any specific or measurable reasons why he believed Jokic should win over Embiid. Instead, he made some negative comments about Embiid’s body language, describing it as “lazy” and suggesting he gets “angry” without reason. Furthermore, it is puzzling for Karl to suggest that Embiid “takes too many possessions off” when he is currently leading the league in scoring for the second season in a row. Overall, Karl’s remarks were not very convincing and did not seem to be grounded in fact.

I completely agree with you. It is perfectly reasonable to have a preference for either Jokic or Embiid for the MVP award, as both have had outstanding seasons. However, it is not responsible to completely dismiss Embiid’s achievements while simultaneously praising Jokic. Embiid has been a dominant force in the league this season, and his contributions to the Sixers cannot be ignored. Each player has their own unique strengths and weaknesses, and it is important to evaluate them fairly when considering their MVP candidacy.

I couldn’t agree more. The MVP debate often becomes overly contentious, with fans and experts focusing more on tearing down opposing players rather than objectively evaluating each candidate’s accomplishments. This kind of discourse is not only unproductive, but it also takes away from the recognition that each player deserves for their individual achievements. As you said, Embiid, Jokic, and Antetokounmpo have all had exceptional seasons, and any one of them would be a deserving MVP winner. It is important to celebrate and appreciate the accomplishments of all players without diminishing the achievements of others.

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