None of the NBA MVP races in the history of the game had fans and experts criticizing a candidate as much as they have done this year with Nikola Jokic.
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The Nuggets’ 6ft 11’ basketball genius has been under a bit of criticism and trolling since Kendrick Perkins accused him of being a stat-padder and the voters of being biased against players of color.
However, the Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer has an entirely different opinion from the so-called experts of the game.
Mike Budenholzer believes guarding Nikola Jokic is impossible
NBA coaches should be on the top shelf among the “experts” who can exactly tell where a player stands in terms of abilities, skills, or even greatness for that matter. And when an opposition coach says something good about a player, it can be considered a fact, irrespective of the fact that an NBA champ believes otherwise.
As the no.1 in the East visited Denver to play the best in the West, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s coach, when asked to give his two cents on what he learned about guarding The Joker over the years, had a two word response, “it’s impossible”.
What have you learned about guarding Nikola Jokić over the years?
Mike Budenholzer: “It’s impossible.”
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) March 25, 2023
If he were really a stat-padder, it would never be difficult to stop him. Especially when you had a player like the Greek Freak to do the job. But not just DPOY Giannis, nobody in the entire NBA could claim to have consistently locked the big Serbian up.
Are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid as unstoppable?
It’s a fact in the basketball community that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid cannot be stopped on their heyday.
The 7-foot Greek international’s size and athleticism are no match for the bigs in the league, including Embiid and Jokic.
The Cameroonian is also unstoppable in his own rights. His versatility on offense and dominance on the defense has shot up to another stratosphere. But the Joker, with his out-of-the-world vision, excels in playmaking. That probably makes him the hardest to guard in the NBA.
Whoever wins the MVP this season, it would be unfair to the others. So, let’s not be more unfair and belittle them for the smallest of things they are not doing well in their tremendous seasons.
