For the first time in nearly half a decade, D’Angelo Russell will be watching the entirety of the NBA Playoffs from the couch. After serving as a key scorer for both Minnesota and Los Angeles over the last several seasons, Russell currently finds himself on the lottery-bound Brooklyn Nets. As a result, the former All-Star was able to spend more time on his podcast and gave his take on every first-round matchup.
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Once the topic of Clippers-Nuggets came up on The Backyard Podcast, Russell was asked if he believed Nikola Jokic should win MVP. He first pushed that question to the side, taking time to praise the Clippers’ surprising postseason run and the resurgence of Kawhi Leonard. With the two-time champion playing how he has been, Russell believes every team should fear LA.
However, despite his high praise for the surging Clippers, Russell couldn’t help but to shine a light on undoubtedly the best player in the series – Nikola Jokic. Eventually, the Nets guard did admit that the Serbian sensation should be taking home another MVP award after averaging a triple-double for the first time in his career.
“I think everyone should be worried about the Clippers. But I will say, Jokic is going to win MVP. He should be going on like his fifth MVP right now,” Russell said. “And that is what it is. That’s where I’m standing. I mean, Shai, we gonna hold on all of that cause Shai, flowers, brother, I ain’t taking nothing from you.”
A 3x MVP, Nikola Jokic has been a finalist for the Michael Jordan MVP trophy for five consecutive seasons. In 2023, the award was given to Joel Embiid, which many believe was ‘media fatigue’ and a way of blocking Jokic’s three-peat. He did win the award again last season, making it his third. This year again, many believe Jokic should win the honors over SGA, but seems like voter fatigue will kick in again.
When the topic turned back to who would win the series, Russell stressed that coaching matters. Considering Denver recently canned longtime head coach Michael Malone, their locker room doesn’t have the most stability at the moment. He acknowledged that this could also be the reason the Nuggets win.
“Jokic is, he’s the best player in the world. So I just feel like I can’t bet against him,” Russell continued. “But if Kawhi and James [Harden] do what they’ve been doing all season, there’s no way they lose. I’m not going to say [if Kawhi stays healthy] because he’s going to stay healthy. I’m going Clippers, bro.”
After LA snatched a road victory in Game 2, the pressure is on the Nuggets to respond on their upcoming two-game road stretch. Jokic and co. will need to manage at least one win in hostile territory to ensure momentum doesn’t completely swing in the Clippers’ favor. If they can at least return to Denver with the series tied, a best-of-three will decide the two teams’ fate.
