Joel Embiid showed why he is the reigning MVP with his incredible performance tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Embiid put up a monster 35 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 blocks performance to get Philly a close 127-123 win. His performance was a display of his versatile skill-set and dominance on the court.

Embiid specifically shone during crunch time as he hit some clutch shots to seal the game. After the game, self-confident Joel Embiid gave his honest take on his clutch time brilliance vs OKC.

Joel Embiid addresses his clutch performance vs. the Thunder

Chet Holmgren and Co. tried all they could to bounce back in tonight?s game and topple the Philadelphia 76ers. They fouled reigning MVP Joel Embiid multiple times in the final minute of the game to send him to the line in hopes of him missing the free throws. Joel Embiid responded brilliantly, as he went 6 of 6 from the free throw line in the final 10 seconds of the game. Embiid addressed his clutch performance after the game. ?It?s scary, but I like it. That?s why I went to the ball every single time because I believe in myself.?

Joel Embiid?s confidence is off the charts after he won his first MVP trophy last season. He has continued his dominance this season, averaging 31.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists. Opponents would expect Embiid to miss free throws in clutch situations as he is a Big man, and historically, NBA Centers have been bad shooters. But Joel is a new age Center who can dominate inside the paint as well as shoot the rock from anywhere on the court.

The new age Big Men are scary

Before the 2010s, two ways to stop elite NBA Centers from dominating the game were to make them shoot from long range and send them to the free-throw line. Most Centers did not have great shooting ability because they spent most of their time inside the paint. However, the league has seen a drastic change in the skill-set of the Centers in the modern era. The new-age NBA Centers can not only humiliate their opponents inside the paint, but they can also take over a game from beyond the arc. That is what separates big men like Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic from the Centers of the past.

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Now, with 7-footer rookies like Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren having a guard-like skill set at their height, the future of the NBA Centers is looking completely different. Holmgren and Wemby have proved in a short span that they cannot be left open anytime. And even if the defenders contest their shot, the 7-footers can shoot right over them with no problem.

With the last 5 MVPs being won by Center/Forward hybrids, we might be past the guards’ era and re-entering an NBA era dominated by bigs.

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