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Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic was announced as this year's MVP. The superstar joined an elusive list of players who have won back-to-back league MVPs.
However, according to Fox Sports' analyst Nick Wright, Jokic was not worthy of winning the MVP. Wright believes Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic were more deserving, stating:
"I would have less of an issue with Jokić winning the MVP if the folks who voted for him overwhelmingly. We are going to see when the votes come out that it was overwhelming, if they had some shame, if they had some humility.
"But they won't. So, instead, here's what I request, triple down on it guys, he’s gonna put up the same numbers next year. Let's go three in a row."
Nick Wright continued:
"I am now rooting for Nikola Jokić to win MVP again because folks tell me it is a regular season award, playoffs success doesn't matter at all-time historical standings doesn't matter at all and what happened the year before shouldn't matter at all."
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Nikola Jokic is set to bag his second MVP award later this week. He won the award over the likes of Embiid and Antetokounmpo.
Is Nikola Jokic underappreciated?
Nikola Jokic had a fine season for the Nuggets and almost single-handedly led the franchise to a playoff spot. What is remarkable is that he did this without the second and third best player on the Nuggets roster.
Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. missed most of the campaign due to knee and back injuries, respectively.
At the age of 27, Jokic is at the peak of his powers in terms of performance and physical attributes. He missed only seven games this season. That is in a season where all the superstars seem to be succumbing to injuries that have sidelined them for extended periods of time.
He recorded 19 triple-doubles and a whopping 66 double-doubles this season for Denver as the offense ran through him. His passing abilities were showcased very well and he is without question the best passer as a big man and possibly overall.
Jokic has arguably been the only player to be mentioned in the MVP race all season long and that is testament to his consistency. While there are question marks over his defense, his offense almost always makes up for his defensive deficiencies.
Along with this, Nikola Jokic recorded the highest PER (Player Efficiency Rating) in the history of the NBA. He finished with a PER of 32.8. While this isn't a perfect stat, the sheer fact that he surpassed Michael Jordan and LeBron James at their absolute best is a testament to the greatness of Jokic.
All these reasons make Nikola Jokic underappreciated as the narrative always revolve around Kevin Durant and LeBron James. Jokic was absolutely brilliant all season long.
Guess the Lakers players!
