Heyden Kudelko – Mustangs Ahead

(LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL) – As the National Basketball Association (NBA) season ends, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) race is becoming more heated.

This season, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid are the frontrunners for the coveted award.

Jokic had won the previous two MVP awards. He would to be the first player since Boston’s Larry Bird to three-peat.

Only Larry Bird, Bill Russell, and Wilt Chamberlain have won the award three times in a row.

Embiid has come second behind Jokic the last two seasons, and many believe it’s now his turn to claim the trophy. This month Embiid has averaged 30 points through eight games, and currently averages 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists this season.

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LRHS sophomore Justin Baltes said, “Embiid has gotten robbed the last two seasons, and has deserved this year’s MVP over everyone else in the league.”

In terms of being the “Most Valuable” to the team, Embiid has elevated the 76ers to the second seed in the East. He also acts as a key asset in their offense and defense.

Sophomore Thomas Huggins is the shooting guard for LRHS basketball.

“You got to trust the process, Embiid is the clear front runner,” he said.

Jokic Is a top-runner on his respective team. The Nuggets went 3-5 in the games he missed and saw their team’s stars take a hit in production.

Junior Ryan Hanson said, “The nuggets are a pretty bad team without him [Jokic], and he can do everything on the court.”

Sophomore Jude Limon said, “Jokic has put up the best numbers all season and is the main reason the Nuggets are winning. For me, the Joker has this one in the bag.”

Although there are around 17 games left for each team, many fans still expect the NBA’s biggest award to end up in the hands of Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic.