Popular as his eponymous podcast is still so early in its development, Draymond Green is one of the many media members who does not get an official vote for MVP. If the Golden State Warriors star was asked to choose between Nikola Jokic and the biggest challenger to his throne as two-time reigning MVP, though, it’s safe to say Green’s battle with Joel Embiid on Friday would loom large in his thinking.
The Warriors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 120-112 in a playoff-like atmosphere at Chase Center, storming back late behind Jordan Poole’s 19-point fourth quarter and active, physical crunch-time defense. Golden State hardly kept Embiid in check all night, though. The Sixers superstar dominated Friday’s game, finishing with 46 points, nine rebounds and eight assists while proving too much for every defender the Warriors threw at him.
After the game, Embiid told Green why he was inspired into such a herculean effort against Golden State.
“He said, ‘You know why I played like that tonight?,” Green recalled on the postgame podium. “You said Joker was the hardest person to guard in the league, so I took that personal.’ So I wanna tell y’all Joel is the hardest guy to guard in the league.”
Green has never been shy about voicing his admiration for Jokic, most memorably after the Warriors dispatched of the short-handed Nuggets in the first round of last year’s playoffs. Jokic averaged 31.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists on 64.3% true shooting across that five-game series, completely controlling the action offensively despite the absences of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.
Clearly, Green is a huge fan of Embiid, too. MVP voters take note.
