76ers: Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic’s Coaches Share Similar Message

Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic are in the running for MVP once again. Doc Rivers and Michael Malone both want their guys to get proper credit regardless of the results.

With the 2022-2023 NBA regular season nearing its conclusion, the MVP debate is getting more heated than ever. As two-time MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets is bound to become a finalist for a potential three-peat to win the award, the two-time runner-up Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is once again running right beside him.

Both players have proven to be among the league’s elite. Yet, it’s become difficult for fans of the game to praise one without tearing down the other. 

Ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers’ Monday night matchup against the Chicago Bulls, head coach Doc Rivers was asked about the never-ending MVP debate. Once again, Rivers campaigned for his player as he’s always done, but he wanted to send a clear message to those who get involved in the debates; Stop shading one guy in defense of the other. 

“Can we stop trying to put people down?” Rivers said. “We should be celebrating our guys in the league. Giannis, Jayson Tatum, Joker, all of them are great. We don’t need to push one down to elevate the other guy. They all are completely different players. They are. Joel, in my opinion, is the best of that, and I don’t think anyone needs me to campaign for him. I think the proof is in the pudding. Having said that, I respect all of them. I don’t know what’s going on lately. It just seems like to validate one, you have to push down the other guy. No, you don’t. They’re all great.”

Not long after Rivers defended all of the candidates, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone echoed a similar sentiment and even went as far as saying that he believes Jokic has been “turned off” from the MVP race this season.

“I think this year, unfortunately, has just taken a really ugly, nasty turn in the MVP conversation, and I think it’s really turned a lot of people off, including him,” Malone told reporters. “What’s happening now is there’s so many guys that could win the MVP this year — great candidates. Joel Embiid is a great candidate. Luka Doncic is a great candidate. Jayson Tatum — whoever you want to put in that mix, those are all deserving, but what happens in today’s society is that everybody — it’s like when I was a college coach — all the negative recruiting, it’s not promoting my guy, it’s ripping down every other guy, and that’s just ridiculous.”

When the regular season concludes, both Embiid and Jokic will inevitably finish as finalists. Regardless of who takes home the hardware, Rivers and Malone hope that the results don’t lead to unnecessary negative attention aimed at one of the players. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.