Precious Achiuwa has awesome MVP take after Raptors beat 76ers

Precious Achiuwa and the Toronto Raptors were not intimidated by a date with MVP candidate Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. When the Raptors took down Philly last night without Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby, they were able to beat their division rivals for the third time in four games.

While Embiid had a solid game, Toronto’s frontcourt proved to be too much for Philadelphia to handle. Siakam finished with a 37-point triple-double, while Achiuwa scored 20 points and nailed five 3-pointers. Considering where these two were to begin the year, this is a huge step in the right direction.

Siakam once again beating up on Embiid might have an impact in the MVP race. With Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo also having historically dominant seasons, Embiid can’t afford too many slip-ups. If Achiuwa had a vote, he wouldn’t pick Embiid.

When asked which of those three standout bigs he thinks is the rightful MVP, Achiuwa seemed to suggest that none of them are worthy of that award. Instead, he picked one of his teammates, selecting Siakam as his pick to take home the biggest individual honor in the NBA.

Toronto Raptors: Precious Achiuwa thinks Pascal Siakam is the MVP.

Siakam’s All-NBA charge went from something that could have been a nice surprise to an absolute necessity. With career-best numbers across the board on offense, Siakam’s importance to a Raptors team that came into the year with minimal expectations can’t be understated.

Siakam is not having a season that is anywhere close to what we’ve seen from Jokic or Giannis. However, in terms of what he means to this Raptors team, his impact on the squad rivals what the top MVP contenders provide to their respective teams. Would the Raptors even be out of the play-in without Siakam?

The box score stats are impressive enough, but the leadership that Pascal brings to the table has been invaluable. Siakam and the much improved Achiuwa are two of the main reasons that Toronto has been so effective against some of the best teams in the league.

The Raptors might be the No. 5 seed, but their rise has been continually underrated by the larger basketball media at every turn. Perhaps Siakam and the rest of the squad taking on Embiid and James Harden will be enough to cause the media landscape to acknowledge what a fantastic season Toronto is having.