“Worst MVP winner”: Gilbert Arenas throws shade at Nikola Jokic for bagging NBA’s prestigious award
Nikola Jokic is, perhaps, the most unlikely MVP in NBA history. He is not like any other MVP iin the league. Unlike players like Michael Jordan and LeBron James, who dominated the league on both ends with their athleticism and showmanship, Jokic is a low-profile MVP, but certainly not any less impactful.
On the latest episode of the “Night Cap” podcast, Gilbert Arenas and his guest, NFL legend Shannon Sharpe, spoke about Jokic. Apparently, there is a report that states an NBA executive believed that awarding Jokic a third MVP award this season would not “age well."
Arenas not only agreed with the exec, but he went on to call Jokic the worst MVP winner in the last four decades.
The former Washington Wizards player remarked that the very fact that there is a discussion about Jokic winning the MVP award is itself disturbing. According to Arenas, Jokic should not have won the MVP award in 2021 and 2022.
“Jokic is probably, statistically when it comes to overall game, the worst MVP winner…in the last 40 year,” Arenas remarked.
Arenas also added that the best players who have their team in the top two positions in the NBA usually win the MVP award. Alluding to Jokic’s MVP season, Arenas threw shades at the two-time MVP, mentioning the Denver Nuggets’ seed in the league.
“When you are talking about MVP, the people who won the MVP, their team was first and second place,” Arenas added.
In the 2020-21 season, when Nikola Jokic won his first MVP, the Nuggets were the third seed in the West. In the 2021-22 season, when Jokic won his second back-to-back MVP, the Nuggets were the sixth seed in the West.
Arenas also alluded to the exceptions, saying that, every time a player from outside the top teams has won the award, they have had a historic season. Throwing shade at Jokic, Arenas said that there was nothing historic in Jokic’s numbers, and it sets a bad precedence.
In the 2020-21 season, Nikola Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists. In the 2021-22 season, the Nuggets star averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game. Although these numbers are not historic, they are certainly impressive for a center player.
Stephen A. Smith chooses Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the MVP over Nikola Jokic
While Nikola Jokic is clearly leading the odds to win the MVP this season, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith believes it should be someone else. For Smith, it was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had a better chance of winning the MVP award.
Alluding to the achievements by SGA this season, Smith said that the Thunder’s guard has had a more impressive and historic season this year.
According to the NBA analyst, SGA has been consistent throughout the season, he has been better defensively. Moreover, the star player has averaged more points than Jokic this season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played 71 games this season, and he has performed outstandingly on both ends. He is averaging 30.3 points per game, which is third-best in the league while shooting 53.9% from the field and 36.5% from beyond the arc. He is also averaging 5.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game.
Moreover, SGA is also leading the league in steals with 2.1 steals per game. What has been outstanding is the fact that SGA has had at least 50 games where he has scored at least 30 points.
Nikola Jokic has also been averaging 26.4 points, 12.3 rebounds and nine assists per game. Moreover, the Nuggets are tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves with the best record in the West.