After Nikola Jokic put up a sensational 49-point triple-double performance against the Clippers, Michael Malone spoke about his MVP chances this season.
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Numerous analysts, coaches, and former legends of the league will state that Nikola Jokic is one of the most disrespected reigning MVPs ever. And in all honesty, they wouldn’t be wrong. The Joker received almost no media recognition, wasn’t voted as the best player heading into the 2021-2022 campaign. On top of that, was the 1st reigning MVP to not get a Christmas Day game since the NBA switched to 5 games on 25th December in 2008.
However, Jokic doesn’t care about any of this. Being the professional he is, the Serbian has quite often spoken about blocking out all the hate. Instead, the 6-foot-11 center has been letting his game do all the talking for him.
In the midst of the prime of his career, Nikola has been playing some incredibly-efficient basketball. With Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. out with injuries, Jokic has taken things up a notch, averaging 26/14/7, while being on track to finish the season with the best Player Efficiency Rating in NBA/ABA history.
Michael Malone talks about Nikola Jokic and his MVP case
On Wednesday night, Jokic put up one of the best individual performances of this season. Dropping 49 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists, Nikola was simply unstoppable while leading the Nuggets to a 130-128 win.
After the game, Michael Malone had some huge praises for his All-Star and spoke about the 26-year-old’s MVP case:
“Do you guys understand how much attention he gets? He gets double and triple-teamed all game and has 49 points.”
“That guy can beat you with his passing, his scoring, his rebounding, and that last pass to Aaron not only wins the game but gives him his 10th assist on the night,” Malone said. “That was an incredible game. You tell me. If Nikola Jokic isn’t the MVP, then who is?”
Despite being 2nd in the latest MVP ladder, Jokic is still being overlooked by many analysts. One of the biggest reasons for the same has to be Denver’s poor record so far. Since 1977, only 10 players were named MVP with their teams not being #1 seed in their respective conference. And only 1 player’s (Russell Westbrook 2017) team was seeded below #3.
Currently, the Nuggets are placed 6th in the West with a 23-20 record. If the Nuggets want to see their leader lift up the trophy for a 2nd consecutive season, they have to start winning games and rising up the standings.
