Julius Erving on MVP race: 'Jokic is the most deserving guy' / News - Basketnews.com

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NBA and Philadelphia 76ers legend Julius Erving made an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, where he debated the possible MVP winner.

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Erving admitted that he supports Joel Embiid but also noted that the Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic deserves it more.

"I'm hopeful that Embiid wins it because he does talk about it, and it's one of those carrots that he's reaching for. However, I think the most deserving guy is Jokic," Erving said.

"He hasn't missed any games, and night in night out, he's done it better than he did last year. And he was MVP last year. So when you get even better, I don't think you lose status. I'm going to vote for Embiid because he's my guy," added Dr. J.

Erving also didn't write off Giannis Antetokounmpo just yet.

"Who knows how Antetokounmpo is going to finish. But both Embiid and Antetokounmpo missed several weeks of play. Jokic has been out there every night," Erving concluded.

This season, Jokic is averaging 26.8 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 8.0 assists.

He can also become the first NBA player ever to record 2000 points, 1000 rebounds, and 500 assists in one season. At the moment, Jokic has 1928 points, 986 rebounds, and 574 assists.

That means that Jokic needs to average 24.0 points and 4.7 rebounds over the rest of the three games left.

Wilt Chamberlain was short of 8 points for this achievement in the 1967-68 season when he had 1992 points, 1952 rebounds, and 702 assists.

Meanwhile, Embiid averages 30.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.

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