"It is a dead-heat, 3-man race right now": Nick Wright names 3 players battling for best player in the world crown
Nick Wright believes three NBA players — Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo — are battling for the best player title. Speaking on FS1's 'First Things First', the analyst along with co-hosts Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes spoke about Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks punching an NBA Finals ticket and the guard winning his first WCF MVP. They also weighed in on how the NBA MVP list should have panned out over the last few years.
After highlighting that Doncic, Jokic, and Antetokounmpo are three of the best modern-day players in the league, Wright said:
"I think it is a dead-heat, 3-man race right now. Right now, it's like MVP conversation with Jokic has three, Giannis has two, and Luka has zero. In my opinion, the more fairer would be Jokic with two, Giannis with two, and Luka with one."
Jokic and the Denver Nuggets made a deeper run this postseason but were knocked out by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Conference semifinals. The center was a prime MVP candidate in the regular season, averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists. Antetokounmpo didn't suit up for the playoffs due to an injury but had monster numbers in the regular stretch, averaging 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists.
Doncic proved to be a force in both, averaging 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists in the regular season, and propping up 28.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.8 assists in the playoffs.
"One of the greatest offensive players I've ever seen": Nick Wright praises Luka Doncic
Leading up to the Dallas Mavericks Game 5 win over the T-Wolves, Nick Wright had high praise for Doncic as he continued to be his team's potent weapon. After the team led the WCF 3-0, Wright made a bold statement (via FS1's 'First Things First):
"Luka is one of the greatest offensive players the league has ever seen."
Should Doncic continue to play at this level, Dallas has a bonafide shot of winning it all and being crowned winners for the first time since Dirk Nowitzki hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2011.
Luka Doncic and the Mavs will now take on the Boston Celtics, as the 2024 NBA Finals start on June 6 at 8:30 pm ET. Games 1 and 2 will be held at the TD Garden and the action will shift to Dallas for the next two games. As for Nick Wright, there will be more of his analysis on Doncic in the days to come.