Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid is early NBA MVP favorite

1. Kawhi Leonard

No one even mentioned Kawhi Leonard as a potential MVP candidate before the season started. There was too much uncertainty.

No one knew for certain if he was healthy, after an injury-plagued season with the San Antonio Spurs. No one knew for certain he would play hard, after refusing to play for the Spurs at the end of last season and demanding a trade.

And finally, and most importantly, no one knew how quickly he would assimilate to his new team the Toronto Raptors, if at all.

All questions and concerns have been answered. Leonard has led the Raptors to a league best 11-1 record, scoring scoring 26 points and 8 rebounds per game.

Most importantly, Leonard is playing with a renewed drive to excel, returning to the form that made him the two time Defensive Player Of The Year.

If Toronto records the best record in the NBA this year, it would be nearly impossible for voters not to reward Kawhi Leonard with his first MVP award.

Embiid, also a great defensive player, may end up with better statistics, but wins matter most. A Leonard MVP season would be especially difficult for Sixers’ fans to stomach, after high preseason hopes that Leonard would be traded to Philadelphia.

Of course, the best way to prevent that from happening is for the 76ers to outperform that Raptors.