76ers superstar Joel Embiid favored ahead of LeBron James for NBA MVP
The 76ers head into the second half of the season as potentially the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. Joel Embiid and company have the team humming and crushing the competition. The superstar big man is making an impression in arguably his best season to date.
With Embiid playing at an elite level, the 76ers superstar has now surpassed four-time NBA champion LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers as the favorite to win NBA MVP, according to ESPN.
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There’s a new MVP favorite as the NBA regular season prepares to resume.
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid overtook Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James last week and is now the consensus favorite to win the regular-season MVP award at sportsbooks around the nation. Embiid is listed at +200 to win MVP at Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill, followed by James at +225.
Embiid is averaging a career-high 30.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game while leading Philadelphia to a 24-12 record. That is the third-best in the league behind the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns. He’s also averaging 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. As well as that, he’s shooting 41.6 percent from beyond the arc and 52.1 percent from the floor.
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At the level Embiid is playing and the struggles the Lakers have gone through as of late, the All-Star center may be well on his way to winning his first NBA MVP award. He has battled injury issue in the past, which may be the only thing that can derail his hopes of coming out on top in this regular-season race.
