Kevin Durant says Joel Embiid is the NBA’s MVP
Kevin Durant said losing the MVP race because of a mid-season injury wouldn’t be the end of the world.
After Nets fans chanted MVP a number of times in Durant’s 38-point performance in a must-have win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, Durant suggested he knows he won’t be a finalist for Most Valuable Player because of an MCL sprain that kept him out a month-and-a-half from mid-January beyond the Feb. 20 NBA All-Star break.
Durant is averaging close to 30 points per game on 52% shooting from the field, but while there is no minimum requirement for games played to be eligible for MVP honors, the pool of more than 100 media members historically holds games missed against players when voting.
Durant, however, famously won the award in 2014 — an honor he dedicated to his mother, Wanda Durant. It’s why he’s not losing any sleep over his absence on many prospective MVP ballots this season.
“Nah, it’s not frustrating,” he said. “I’ve experienced what it’s like to win MVP, and that doesn’t validate me as a player. I mean, I know what I can do. So it’s always great to get some home fans, some hometown love, and it’s great when fans recognize you as one of the best players in the league, but nah, I wouldn’t say I’m pissed off or mad that I got hurt. It’s just a part of the game, but I understand the type of player that I am.”
Durant pinpointed four players he thinks will lead the MVP race this season: Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan, Memphis’ Ja Morant and Denver’s Nikola Jokic.
He believes the eventual winner, however, plays alongside his former co-star, James Harden.
“I’d probably go Joel,” Durant said. “It’s so many great players playing at a high level, man, so like I said the other day: The league’s in a great place.”
CURRY’S ANKLE
Sharpshooter Seth Curry said his ankle doesn’t feel better or worse after playing 38 minutes against the Blazers on Friday.
Curry scored 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and hit seven threes in his first game back after missing three straight games with ankle soreness. Curry said he’s been dealing with the ankle issue since “probably a month before the” Feb. 10 trade that sent him along with Ben Simmons and Andre Drummond to Brooklyn.
“It’s been a while,” he said. “It’s something I’m just going to have to manage and deal with until the offseason.”
Curry said the ankle injury isn’t a situation where he wakes up in the morning and can tell whether or not he’s going to be available to play.
“It’s not something that’s going to go away,” he said. “So as long as it’s not getting worse, I should be good.”