Nate Robinson Defends Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Claim to MVP By Raising Questions About the Parameters of Voting

Making an appearance on ‘The OGs’ podcast, Nate Robinson discussed life after retirement and the current state of the NBA. The veteran guard was also asked to weigh in on the current MVP debate, and should Shai Gilgeious-Alexander be part of the conversation? Giving the OKC guard his flowers, Robinson went in on the current MVP selection criteria, calling out the league and its policies,

“He is in there bro. If he is not in there, then I don’t know who’s making these votes. Like what are you looking at?..cause he has taken a young team doing what he is doing in the West, and the West is the hardest Conference to do what you doing.” 

He even shouted out Luka Doncic and said that this year’s list is insane in terms of talent and skills,

“Luka Doncic is one of those guys that’s up there. The MVP race is going to be lit. It’s going to be lit this year. Those guys, Luka, SGA, Joker…Anthony Edwards…even Tatum can be up there too.” 

SGA is definitely having an MVP-worthy season, averaging 30.4 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.6 rebounds in 72 games this season. He would be hoping to take home the MVP trophy, after leading the OKC Thunder to the No. 1 seed in the West with a dominant 135-86 win over a depleted Dallas Mavericks squad. This has further solidified SGA’s stake in the MVP race. 

The MVP race continues on 

The Most Valuable Player award celebrates the individual greatness of a player, who has stood head and shoulders above the competition, during the regular season. While no one really knows the exact criteria, a voting system determines the regular season MVP.

As the situation currently stands, Nikola Jokic is again the front-runner to win the coveted award. He leads the Nuggets in every column, averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists in 79 games this season. Maintaining his spot behind the Joker is Shai Gilgeious-Alexander. As per the Kia MVP ladder, he is surprisingly placed below Jokic, even though the young guard has managed to take a relatively inexperienced squad to the top spot in a stacked Western Conference.

The addition of Luka Doncic to the MVP race has only made things more complicated, as he put up the prettiest stat line, averaging 33.9 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 9.8 APG, with this year’s scoring title also going to the Mavericks star. He was surely a deserving candidate, and if not for Kyrie’s amazing production on the floor, Doncic might have shone brighter, making it possible for Luka to win his first MVP.