With the NBA season reaching its end comes the ramp-up of league MVP talks, and Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon has inserted his two cents.
Before the year tipped off back in October, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was the front-runner, just above Philadelphia 76ers leader Joel Embiid. However, a lot can change over the course of an 82-game season, as has been the case. For weeks, Jayson Tatum emerged as the league favorite, going head-to-head with Doncic, but that fizzled out following the NBA All-Star break, bringing us to where we are now.
And Brogdon penned down his candidate: Denver Nuggets do-it-all stud Nikola Jokic.
“I think Joker is probably No. 1 right now,” Brogdon said, according to Brandon Robinson of Bally Sports. “He’s having another incredible superb season, but I think that Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and JT are in that conversation as well. I think that they are both having great seasons.”
Jokic, who’s been named league MVP for the last two years, is a hard name to argue against. The five-time All-Star is on pace for yet another outstanding season, averaging 24.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 9.9 assists through 64 games with the Nuggets. Jokic is also knocking down shots at a career-best rate, shooting 63.4% from the field and 39.4% from 3-point territory.
Hypothetically speaking, if Jokic were to win his third consecutive MVP award, it’ll place the 28-year-old in a historic conversation. The only other three players in NBA history to ever win three straight MVPs are Bill Russell (1960-63), Wilt Chamberlain (1965-68) and Larry Bird (1983-86).
So far Jokic has done his part in fulfilling his leadership duties in Denver and there’s no room for debate there. The Nuggets are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference through their first 72 games while Jokic has notched a career-high 28 triple-doubles in the process.
