Jaylen Branson questions NBA MVP narratives on Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic
Nicholas Jokic is still the clear favorite for MVP despite the fact that Denver Nuggets they are not currently the top three seeds. Denver is currently fourth in the Western Conference, but Jokic’s incredible season makes it look like he’s on track for his fourth NBA MVP award. However, why was this not the case in 2023-24 when Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić nearly averaged a triple-double while his team finished fifth overall in the West?
It seemed as though the fact that Doncic’s Mavs finished fifth played a big part in his third MVP finish despite his incredible averages of 33.9 points, 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game. Dončić’s former and current teammate New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson recently questioned the situation during an episode of The Roommates Show, via ClutchPoint.
“Jokić is playing absolutely absurdly.” His numbers are crazy,” Brunson said. “(The Nuggets) are not seeded where they were last year … and people are still talking about him like he’s the MVP. Individually, he deserves it. But when Luca was averaging a damn near triple-double, but the (Mavs) seed wasn’t where people wanted it to be, they were like, ‘Oh, he shouldn’t get the MVP because of the seed’… Why certain narratives work for some people?”
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Jokic won his third NBA MVP award in 2023-24 after averaging 26.4 points, 9.0 assists and 12.4 rebounds per outing. The Nuggets ended up with the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder finished as the No. 1 seed in the West, and Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds per outing, finished second in MVP voting.
So, did the Mavs’ regular season finish play a role in Doncic not earning stronger MVP consideration? It’s possible, but Jokic and Gilgeus-Aleksandar have undoubtedly enjoyed strong seasons. Still, Doncic’s numbers were incredible, and one would imagine he would have won the MVP had Dallas finished as the top seed in the conference.
The NBA should pay attention to Brunson’s comments.
2025-01-13 16:52:00
