76ers' Joel Embiid 'Really Trying to Make an All-NBA Defense Team' amid MVP Push

Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid admitted Saturday that being recognized as an elite defensive player is among his goals this season.

According to Rich Hofmann of The Athletic, the NBA MVP candidate said: "I'm trying to be as dominant as possible, I'm really trying to make an All-NBA defense team."

Over the course of his seven NBA seasons, Embiid is a six-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection. He also won the scoring title last season and entered play Saturday in the lead for the scoring title this season as well at 33.5 points per game.

Embiid has been named to the NBA All-Defensive second team three times in his career, but he has yet to secure a spot on the first team.

The 29-year-old veteran's defensive stats have been impressive this season, as he is averaging 10.2 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.1 steals. The 1.7 blocks per game are his most since 2018-19 and the 1.1 steals per game match a career best from last season.

Those numbers are also among the biggest reasons why Embiid is in the thick of the NBA MVP race along with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić for the second consecutive year. Embiid finished second to Jokić in the voting last season, and Jokić is once again the favorite as the top player for the Western Conference-leading Nuggets.

The presence of Rudy Gobert is a leading factor in why Embiid has been unable to make the All-Defensive first team to this point in his career.

Gobert is a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and he has owned the NBA All-Defensive first team, earning that distinction in each of the past six seasons.

Since getting traded from the Utah Jazz to the Minnesota Timberwolves during the offseason, however, Gobert has not been nearly as dominant.

His 11.5 rebounds per game are his lowest since 2017-18 and his 1.4 blocks per game are his fewest since his rookie season in 2013-14. He also lags behind Embiid with just 0.8 steals per game.

The door is open wider than ever before for Embiid to leapfrog Gobert for a spot on the NBA All-Defensive first team this season, and accomplishing that feat would help further cement his status as the best all-around center in the NBA.