"You're opening a can of worms that you don't have to have a winning season" - Former NBA champion strongly objects to Nikola Jokic winning MVP award
On Monday morning, it was announced that Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic had secured the MVP award for the second-straight season. After multiple players made iron-clad cases, the basketball community got its long-awaited answer.
With the race being so tight this year, the announcement of the winner has re-sparked debates. Many feel Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Joel Embiid was a huge snub, but one analyst took a different stance regarding Nikola Jokic winning MVP.
While there is no set criteria when it comes to the MVP award, team success is a common topic in the discussion. Typically, the winner is the best player on one of the league's best teams that year. Russell Westbrook was an outlier for this, and the same could be said for Nikola Jokic.
While the Nuggets were well above .500 this season, they still only finished as the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Being so low in the standings, Antoine Walker went on FS1's "First Things First" to give his thoughts.
Walker believes this could change the MVP landscape moving forward, stating:
"I don't think Nikola Jokić should've won the MVP award.... By picking the Joker, you're opening a can of worms that you don't have to have a winning season."
"I don't think Nikola Jokić should've won the MVP award. ... By picking the Joker, you're opening a can of worms that you don't have to have a winning season." — @WalkerAntoine8 https://t.co/Zxuqv1qRPB
Nikola Jokic went above and beyond for Nuggets
While an argument can be made over Walker's comments, you also have to look at the other side of the coin.
The Nuggets might have been a middle-of-the-pack team this season, but that has nothing to do with Nikola Jokic. If not for his phenomenal play, they likely would have been towards the bottom of the standings.
With Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. sidelined all season, Nikola Jokic was the only form of star power they had. Flanked by a supporting cast of role players, he carried them to the postseason on his own.
Nikola Jokic Full Highlights vs Clippers
21-22 SZN
49 Pts
14 Rebs
10 Asts https://t.co/NkUhPb4JPj
Saying Jokic did everything for the Nuggets this season is arguably an understatement. He finished the year as the team's leader in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks per game.
When a player is doing that much for a playoff team, it is hard to argue that he isn't worthy of being named league MVP. How well a team does should certainly play a factor in someone's case, but Jokic could fall into the same outlier category as Westbrook.
Given how he led his team in every statistical category, he is a prime example of the 'Valuable' in Most Valuable Player.