NBA Awards Rankings: New No. 1 in MVP race

What a strange twist. Nikola Jokic was the MVP last season, at least in my book. Joel Embiid won the award, and it's difficult to earnestly dispute his incredible résumé. But, in a year that featured two historic big man performances, Embiid polled in second place. He was the beneficiary of Denver's early-season dominance, which allowed the Nuggets to take their foot of the gas pedal for the final month of the season while the Sixers played full-tilt for postseason position.

Now in 2023-24, with Jokic planted firmly atop the NBA hierarchy, Embiid has been the better player. He's having the better season, at least. There's no way around it. At 29 years old, Embiid has leveled up — again. He does it every season, but it's particularly pronounced in the absence of James Harden, who was traded to LA a few games into the season (and is playing great basketball).

Embiid has elevated his playmaking profile, averaging the highest assist percentage of his career (31.3) and the most assists per game (5.9) while keeping turnovers at bay (3.8) and scoring more than ever. Embiid has long been the NBA's best points machine — a force of nature who is virtually impossible to defend legally — but 35.1 points per game on .541/.333/.893 splits is comical, even by Embiid's historically great standards. Lest we forget, he leads the NBA in most points per minute (0.87) all time.

Wednesday's victory over the Timberwolves was Embiid's signature moment to date. He scored 51 points on 25 shots against Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, and the NBA's No. 1 defense. It was his second 50-point game of the season and his fourth 40+ point performance in a five-game span.

In addition to the ridiculous offensive output, Embiid is playing his best defense in years. The Sixers own the NBA's No. 2 offense and the No. 2 defense. There aren't many holes to poke in his case. He leads the league in WS/48 (.328) and usage rate (.378). The Sixers are running everything through Embiid and he's anchoring an elite defense. If we're handing out the trophy today... he gets the rare two-peat.