Kevin Durant Picks Joel Embiid as NBA MVP over Nikola Jokić: 'Flat-Out Unstoppable'

If Kevin Durant had an MVP vote, it would go to Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid.

On the latest episode of The ETCs (starts at 8:50 mark), Durant explained he believes Embiid should win the award because he's "dominant" and "flat-out unstoppable."

"He's playing at a dominant level for the last two years," Durant added about Embiid's case for the award. "... What more does he have to do to become MVP? And they're winning basketball games, too."

Embiid's fellow players have made it clear they believe he's the most valuable player for the 2022-23 season. In an anonymous player poll conducted by The Athletic's Sam Amick and Josh Robbins, the Sixers center received 50 percent of the vote from the 102 players who cast a ballot.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić was a distant second in the poll with 25.5 percent of the vote, followed by Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in third with 15.7 percent.

Even if the actual media vote ends up being closer than the player poll, it's hard to argue against Embiid for the award. The six-time All-Star led the NBA in scoring average for the second consecutive season (33.1 points per game) and tied his career high with 4.2 assists per game.

Philadelphia's 54 wins during the regular season were its most since 2000-01 (56). That was also the last time a Sixers player was named MVP (Allen Iverson).

Jokić can become the fourth player in NBA history to win three consecutive MVP awards if he gets it this season. Larry Bird most recently did it from 1983-84 through 1985-86. Antetokounmpo also has two MVP trophies in 2018-19 and 2019-20.