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NBA Quarter Pole Awards: Early season MVP and more

By Corey Rausch

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 20: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics passes the ball against Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on January 20, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Celtics 117-109. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 20: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics passes the ball against Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on January 20, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Celtics 117-109. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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NBA (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
NBA (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

Most Valuable Player – Joel Embiid

Honorable Mentions: Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, Kevin Durant

The pick may be as polarizing as the player himself but Joel Embiid is the MVP for the first quarter of the season. Of the top four players on the list, he is the most transformative on both sides of the ball. He has a legitimate case to do what Giannis Antetokounmpo did last year and take home both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.

His current stats are eye-popping: 27.7 points (sixth), 11.5 rebounds (eighth), 2.7 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. The Philadelphia 76ers are 12-2 with him in the lineup 0-4 without him. Opposing centers continuously foul out against him and all Joel Embiid does is chuckle and dominate. As the Process is finally being realized with the best record in the conference Embiid deserves the credit he is getting.

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Honorable mentions for this award required the rules to be broken because of how clear cut the top four choices are. It is impossible to leave any of the next three players off the list. When Nikola Jokic is on the court the Denver Nuggets are third in offensive rating and when he sits down they plummet to the bottom. He is fourth in the league in assists at 9.3 as a center. Combine that with 25.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game and the season he is having is transcendent. The record is the biggest deterrent between him and Embiid.

Kevin Durant has come back after what is considered to be the most devastating injury in basketball and does not appear to have missed a step. He is second in the league in scoring (30.4 points per game) with mind-blowing efficiency (.518/.446/.863). If the Brooklyn Nets can figure out their on-court fit and catch the Sixers in the standings he will have a case. LeBron James is still the best player in the world. The Los Angeles Lakers are the best team in the league. He will always have a claim to this award as long as he continues playing. The fact that he is still playing with this level of dominance on this quick of a turnaround is astounding.

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