Will this NBA season feature one of the closest Most Valuable Player votes in league history?
If ESPN’s final MVP straw poll of 2022-23 is any indication, buckle up, as Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has overtaken Denver Nuggets center and two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
By two points.
Not only did Embiid edge Jokic in total points — 790 to 788 — but Jokic actually had more first-place votes (42 for Jokic, 40 for Embiid). The difference: Embiid finished in second place on 45 ballots — six more than Jokic — to give the Sixers big man a slight lead over his rival.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo — a two-time MVP in his own right — grabbed the remaining 18 first-place votes, and he lurks within striking distance as the best player on the team with the most wins (55) in the league, making a difficult choice for voters even tougher.
Add it all up and, with just a handful of days to go in the regular season, many of those polled are still uncertain about how they will ultimately vote.
“These may not be my final answers,” one voter said.
Another asked, “Can’t you wait until after the regular season is over?”
The biggest takeaway from the poll — conducted in a 36-hour period…
