Ahead of the Brooklyn Nets’ play-in game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kevin Durant gave his nominee for the MVP award for the 2021-22 NBA season.
“If I had to choose, I would go Joel Embiid,” the 33-year-old star responded when asked about his favorite for the award, as reported by ESPN’s Nick Friedell.
The two-time NBA champion added: “He led the league in scoring, double-doubles, his team won 50 games this year. Numbers were incredible. It’s a great year.”
However, “KD” did not rule out the possibility of the MVP going to another player. “But you can just close your eyes and just pick any one of the guys out of the top six or seven, and you can have a good MVP this year. That shows how great our league is right now and how talented our league is from top to bottom, but I would go with Embiid if I had to choose,” the 12-time NBA All Star sentenced.
Words that demonstrate Durant’s deep respect for the tremendous performance of the African center, who had to lead the 76ers throughout the regular round in the absence of Ben Simmons.
The NBA is expected to announce the season award winners later in the month of June, after the NBA Finals are played.
Kevin Durant’s Numbers for the 2021-22 NBA Season
Despite suffering some physical problems, Kevin Durant ended up posting numbers that keep him among the NBA’s elite.
After playing 55 regular round games, the American averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. He also shot 51.8% from the field and 38.3% from three-point range.
In the play-in tournament game, the Nets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers by a score of 115-108. Durant finished with a line of 25 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks.