With the regular season coming to an end, awards are set to go out as well. Out of them all, the MVP race was the most competitive. Joel Embiid came up as one of the top 3 candidates to win the award. While multiple analysts have picked fellow center, Nikola Jokic to win it again, Toronto All-Star Fred VanVleet feels Embiid has made major progress.

With the entire Ben Simmons saga in Philadelphia, Joel Embiid had to bring his best to the table. Likewise, the big man outperformed any expectations set on him and dominated the league. His offense looked much more refined as he shot consistent jump shots and went at the rim. Moreover, he even won the scoring title this season beating the likes of LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Likewise, VanVleet was impressed with the way Embiid has progressed since 2019.

While speaking about the Philly center, he said Embiid is now like Kobe, Shaq, Jordan, and Kevin Durant all in one.

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Fred VanVleet showers major praise on Joel Embiid

After Embiid’s dominating season in the NBA, VanVleet couldn’t keep himself from praising the center. He compared Joel from back in 2019 and said he was more of a traditional center then. However, according to Fred, Embiid is now the combination of Kobe, Jordan, KD, and Shaquille O’Neal.

He said: “He was more back to the basket (in 2019), playing like a 5. Now he’s turned into Kevin Durant, Michael Jordan, Kobe, Shaq all put together.”

Embiid was an all-out beat in the regular season this year. The Sixers star won his first scoring champ title, putting up 30.6 points per game. Much like Kobe and Jordan, Embiid was great in the clutch as well. Notably, he only ranks second in clutch points per game behind only Ja Morant. In addition, he put up several dominating performances like the Big Diesel. Embiid led the NBA for the most 40-point games this season with 13. He along with Giannis and Jokic put the NBA big men back on the map as the three come in as the top 3 to win MVP this season.

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While Embiid’s offense has been the talk of the NBA, he has been a force on defense as well. Although he isn’t as dominant with the pressure of an entire offense on him, Embiid still managed to get a defensive rating of 107. In addition, Embiid was the most active in his career this year with 68 games. With all that Joel has done this season, do you think he will win his first MVP? Let us know in the comments below.