Nikola Jokic Will Probably Not Win MVP Again
“Lazy” voters, as Michael Malone puts it, are going to get fatigued and not vote for him.
Ever since we entered the new decade, Nikola Jokic has been the best player in the league.
He won the MVP award two times in a row in 2021 and 2022.
But even though he’s playing just as well in the 2022-23 season as he did in his MVP seasons, he may not get the same recognition this time around.
The reason why is because of voters’ fatigue.
Voters’ fatigue occurs when voters get tired of picking a specific player too many times (or in the case of the NBA, voting for an MVP candidate for a third time in a row).
So, even though the Denver Nuggets are the top team in the Western Conference and Jokic is averaging a near triple-double (25.7 points per game on 62 percent shooting, 10.9 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game), he may not get to bring home another MVP trophy because voters have already voted him in twice and want to give another player the glory.
To some people, that’s cool. But to Nuggets’ Head Coach Michael Malone, it’s “just lazy.”
And this laziness from the media has allowed only three players in NBA history to receive the MVP title consecutively three or more times: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird.
Russell won the title in 1961, 1962, and 1963.
In these seasons, the Boston Celtics won 57 games, 60 games, and 58 games, respectively and were the top team in the Eastern Division.
Additionally, he led the Celtics in rebounds, averaging just under 24 per game each season, and was a top-three scorer.
Chamberlain won the title in 1966, 1967, and 1968.
In these seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers were first in the Eastern Division and won 55, 68, and 62, respectively.
During these seasons, he led the Sixers in both points and rebounds. In 242 games, he averaged 27.3 points and 24.2 rebounds per game.
Chamberlain was also the rebounding leader in all three seasons and was the scoring champion in 1966.
Larry Bird was the MVP in 1984, 1985, and 1986.
During these three seasons, the Boston Celtics were the top team in the league and won 62 games, 63 games, and 67 games, respectively.
In those 241 games, he was the Celtics’ leading scorer, rebounder, and assister, averaging 26.2 points per game on 50.4 percent shooting, 10.1 rebounds, and 6.7 assists.
Now things can change by the end of the season, but in my opinion, Jokic is currently in the same boat as these three legends. He’s playing superbly and so is the team under his leadership.
And if he keeps playing the way that he is and the team continues to do well, then there’s no reason why he shouldn’t win the MVP title.
And if these conditions are met and he doesn’t get it, then Malone’s comment will be proven true (that the voters are lazy, if you forgot).
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