Joel Embiid's NBA MVP Win Was 'Long Overdue and Well-Deserved,' Draymond Green Says

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green congratulated Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid for being named NBA MVP for the first time in his career Tuesday.

Green discussed Embiid's accomplishment on Wednesday's episode of the Draymond Green Show on The Volume (beginning at the 13:13 mark):

"Congratulations. Long overdue and well-deserved," Green said of Embiid. "I think Joel's been putting together cases for it for the last few years, not that [Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić] wasn't deserving, because he was very deserving, but I'm happy to see Joel get it."

Jokić had a chance to become only the fourth player in NBA history to win three consecutive MVP awards, but he finished second to Embiid, who led the NBA in scoring average for the second year in a row.

The 29-year-old Embiid averaged a career-high 33.1 points per game this season to go along with 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.0 steal and 1.0 three-pointer made per contest. He also shot a career-best 54.8 percent from the field.

Behind Embiid's leadership, the Sixers secured the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 54-28 record, and they hold a 1-0 series lead over the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs, although Embiid has missed the past two games with a knee injury.

While Embiid has yet to take the Sixers beyond the conference semifinals, the team is only three wins away from accomplishing that goal.

Embiid has expressed a desire to win a championship like all NBA players, but he has also been outspoken about wanting to be NBA MVP ever since he entered the league as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.

Green praised Embiid for being honest about what he wanted and doing everything he could to get it, saying:

"I really have an issue when people aren't necessarily forthcoming in what they want, forthcoming in their goals. ... I love when people are outwardly speaking about what they want. Joel has been speaking about winning the MVP since he came into the NBA. And to see him actually put the work in and go do that, through all the injuries, getting healthy, playing enough games, I gotta applaud that and I respect that."

Now that Embiid has major individual goals like two scoring titles and an MVP checked off the list, winning a championship is likely next in the progression.

Getting past the reigning Eastern Conference champion Celtics won't be easy, but if the 76ers can get Embiid back and beat Boston, they will be heavily favored to beat the Miami Heat or New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Philly did beat Boston in Game 1 without Embiid thanks to 45 points from James Harden, but Embiid is paramount to the Sixers' success for the rest of the playoffs, which reflects his status as MVP.