Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic looks to pass the ball during Game 4 against the Golden State Warriors in Denver, Colorado on April 24.David Zalubowski/The Associated Press
Denver’s Nikola Jokic won his second consecutive MVP award after a season in which he finished with numbers never before seen in NBA history, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press.
The NBA was preparing to make the announcement in the next few days, likely this week, according to the person who spoke to the AP Monday on condition of anonymity because the results of the vote have not been announced.
ESPN, citing sources, first reported that Jokic would be named MVP again.
The 7-foot center for the Nuggets was the first player in league history to eclipse 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season. And that kind of dominance by the player nicknamed “Joker” helped convince voters that he should be the exclusive club’s 13th consecutive NBA MVP.
The other finalists, who will finish second and third in some order, were Philadelphia center Joel Embiid, who led the league in scoring average, and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks.
Jokic, 27, averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists on a team that was missing two top players in Jamal Murray (LCA) and Michael Porter Jr. (back). Required to carry the load in and out, the big man from Sombor, Serbia answered the call and guided the Nuggets to a 48-win season. They earned the No. 6 seed in the West, before losing in five games to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.
“It’s just remarkable what he’s done,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone recently said of Jokic. “I know I’m very biased, I’ll admit it wholeheartedly: MVP isn’t even a competition. There are other great players, I’m not saying they’re not great players, but what Nikola Jokic has done this year, with this team, with everything we’ve been through, it’s unbelievable. He was good last year and he is even better this year.”
The prize is likely to be the start of a big offseason for Jokic, who is eligible for a supermax extension that could guarantee him nearly $254 million over five seasons beginning in 2023-24. He will earn $32.4 million next season.
“There is nothing more important” than keeping Jokic, Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said recently.
Jokic joins the rarefied company to win for the second consecutive season. The other players who have won two in a row include Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, LeBron James (twice), Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Moses Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (twice). Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell each won the award in three consecutive seasons.
Next year, Jokic will also have his chance to make a three-time championship.
Known as much for his precise passing as his soft touch, Jokic finished with a league-leading 19 triple-doubles. The 41st pick in the 2014 draft now has 76 career picks from him, trailing only Chamberlain (78) among centers.
After being eliminated from the playoffs (he averaged 31 points, 13.2 rebounds), Jokic was asked how he could celebrate if he wins MVP.
“Probably with some music, beer, friends around, family,” he said. “Like how you’re probably supposed to do it.
“But if I don’t get it, I’m not going to die. I’m going to keep playing, I’m going to keep trying to play the right way like I did my whole life.”
There was a time when the Jokic was reviled for his game. More specifically, defending him and not being able to jump. His once-plumpy body (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich kindly teased him about it) has more strength.
Has it ever bothered you that your game doesn’t seem to command the same level of respect as other top players?
“Couldn’t care less, bro,” Jokic said.
He sees the court with the clarity of a point guard and has an arsenal of shots that includes soft little hooks around the rim and a soft touch 3-pointer.
Popovich had the appropriate answer when asked if it was more important to eliminate Jokic’s shot attempts or passes: “I don’t think anyone noticed that,” he said. “He is a great one.”
No argument from New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.
“If someone is jogging, they will make you pay for it. If you’re out of position or you mess up on a cut, he’ll make you pay for it,” Thibodeau said previously. “Excellent player.”
Jokic cares immensely about winning: games, not hardware. He is not one to lobby on his own behalf, he just lets his numbers speak for him. Last season, when he won, he averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists. This season, he took his game to another level by making his fourth straight All-Star team.
“If that’s enough, that’s enough,” he said. “If not, you can’t control that.”
Funny story about his MVP trophy from a season ago: He wasn’t exactly sure where it was when his family moved.
“It’s here in Denver,” Jokic recently joked.
Reference-www.theglobeandmail.com