Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is one of the best players in the NBA. The two-time league MVP could be adding a third trophy to his resume for his performance during the 2023-24 regular season.
Not only is Jokic’s production through the roof once again, but he has the Nuggets competing for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Jokic checks off all of the boxes that voters are looking at when filling out their ballots.
However, not everyone is impressed with what Jokic has accomplished. One of those naysayers is former NBA All-Star, Gilbert Arenas. During a recent episode of Night Cap with Shannon Sharpe, Chad Johnson and Arenas, the former NBA standout shared a wild take on the Nuggets star.
In Arenas’ opinion, Jokic is the worst MVP winner the NBA has seen in the last 40 years. The entire basis of Arenas’ argument for Jokic being the worst statistical MVP in league history had nothing to do with the stats he was putting up. Instead, Arenas focused on where the Nuggets finished in the standings, as they were fifth and 10th according to him.
For some context, Arenas seems to be using the entire league standings, not just the Western Conference, when stating where the Nuggets finished. But, those comments are exactly why when people saying that guys who played in the league know best, don’t actually know best.
What Jokic accomplished on the court in those seasons individually was truly incredible. Denver falling short in the postseason certainly tarnished his case, but the MVP award is for regular season performance, not all-encompassing and including the postseason.
The MVP award should go to the best player who has the most impact on his team’s performance on the court. For those seasons, and the current one, Jokic fits that list. With him on the court, the Nuggets are one of the best teams in the NBA. Without him, they are one of the worst.
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