Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid is constantly in the conversations for the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards. He can greatly impact the game on either end of the floor and he leads the team to success.

After a season in which he averaged 28.5 points and 10.6 rebounds while also shooting 51.3% from the floor and finishing second in the MVP race to Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. He is going to be in the mix again this upcoming season and one former champion big man believes he is going to win the award this season.

Kendrick Perkins hopped on ESPN’s “The Jump” and said this about the big fella:

I’m going with Joel Embiid, right? We don’t know what’s gonna happen with Ben Simmons, but the way that Joel Embiid finished second last year in the MVP voting, this year he’s going to come back on a better mission. I heard he’s in great shape, he signed a big contract extension, meaning he’s fully committed to the organization, and he wants to win. He can average 30 and 10 in his sleep. Philly will be a top three team in the Eastern Conference, and it will be led by him and he will hoist the MVP trophy award this season.

.@KendrickPerkins says Joel Embiid will be this season's MVP 👀

"If you have a big three on your team, you cannot win the MVP award." pic.twitter.com/LuffAPHbks

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 16, 2021

Regardless of what happens with Ben Simmons, it’s clear this team will go as far as Embiid takes them. He is the one who will ensure that the Sixers have the type of success they believe they can. And he will certainly have to play at an MVP-type level in order for Philadelphia to have a big season.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!