It should be Giannis, but voters are stupid and will give it to Jokic because he has put up crazy good stats in categories no one cares about.
What stats are those?
For starters, Win Share and PER, two stats I never see talked about in regards to basketball players, yet all of a sudden they are apparently super important. That could be the emphasis on such things by the analytics nerds out there, so maybe I missed that memo. I read a fact last week that only once in NBA history has a player whose team finished as the 6 seed or lower in his conference won the MVP, and that was Westbrook a few years ago (and I think most know now how dumb it was to give that to him). If Jokic, whose Nuggets are the 6 seed, was lapping the field, then I'd say, yeah, give it to him again this year, but with Luka, Giannis and Embiid all being right there as well, nah. Giannis is the best player in the league and had another unbelievable season, but just like voters didn't want to give it to Jordan or James too many times, they are now doing the same with Giannis.
I think those metrics are actually supposed to assess a player in more of a context to TEAM value, and yes.....success, but not in just wins and losses. Things like getting other players involved (Jokic scores high because he is a playmaker....and perhaps the best passer in the game), reliance for clutch plays, team defense, how the team does when X player is NOT on the court, etc. It's the antithesis to looking at stats at face value....because just the mere numbers....like Westbrook and Harden triple doubles.....don't always portray the entire story.
Those analytics speak to the root word value.....as it applies to "valuable" in Most Valuable Player. But I don't know if that means they are "super important" to everyone who has a vote for MVP. There's no way to know all the criteria they used to cast their vote.
Also, there is a natural geographical bias. Not even complaining about that....rather, I am acknowledging it as valid. Jokic plays for Denver....which to esp. people on the east coast....might as well be Siberia. Understandable. It's not a big market city, though it is a major hub and growing....seemingly exponentially. And....the time zone difference creates these gaps in exposure to players who play for those teams that play their games much later. So that even if Denver is on television.....the majority of people don't even watch those, what would be 10:30 Eastern Time starts. The Nuggets home games are typically at 9pm Eastern, but if they are on National TV, they are usually playing someone from the West and are on the second half of the doubleheaders 90% of the time.
So, accordingly....there's a disconnect. Further proof of that is awareness of the Nuggets team dynamics this year. And while I have heard some broadcasters mention this in their assessment of Jokic as an MVP candidate....the fact they came close to winning 50 games with their second and third leading scorers on the team out all (Jamal Murray, who...if you remember the Bubble series with Utah a couple seasons back, you will recognize his infinite value)....or virtually all (Michael Porter Jr) season.....it's not been said enough to where the average NBA fan would even be aware. What other team can say that about their team? The Clippers, yes.....Leonard out all year and George missing many games. But there's no MVP candidate there. In that regard, while Jokic would be the first to tell you it's ultimately no excuse.....it is nonetheless a factor....and therefore not fair to penalize him for his team's success as only the 6th seed.
And yes.....just looking at the stats alone. They do still relate to a player's value....particularly if the points, rebounds, assists (the three major ones, typically)....are compiled in key moments during the games. So looking at Jokic's year.....he was better than last year, and he won it then. In fact, he had a HISTORIC season. First player ever to score 2,000 points, grab 1,000 rebounds, and 500 assists. If you're looking at something either objectively or subjectively....it would be hard not to take that into account.
Finally, I do admit my bias. I have seen Jokic play every game since he came into the league. I have watched him grow and understand his value to his team's success. And he's not flashy...can't jump, doesn't dunk much. Yes, until they make a deeper run in the playoffs, he will be not be recognized in the same way as other champions. Time will tell. And the problem with reliance on one player to do so much is....in the playoffs....the Warriors, for example...will be focusing on him so much. So until he has had a couple of runs with an almost fully healthy squad....I think the jury will still be out (on his evolving evaluation of greatness) for awhile yet.
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Topic: NBA 2021-22---- NBA LEGEND Bill Russell 1934-2022 RIP (Read 28501 times)