“Should’ve Won MVP Last Year”: Dwyane Wade’s ‘Saquon Barkley Analogy’ for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 2024 MVP Campaign

Last season, Nikola Jokic won his third MVP title in four years despite several strong contenders vying for the MVP title. Dwyane Wade feels that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should’ve won it instead of the Denver Nuggets superstar. On his podcast, the NBA legend shared his thoughts on the MVP race this season.

Wade admitted that he is a big fan of SGA and he has been rooting for him to win the MVP title. However, big men have dominated it for years now and the Heat legend thinks that it’s time another position wins the title.

He said, “I’m a big fan of SGA and I thought he should’ve won MVP last year and we gotta get back to [guards winning MVP]…them bigs got to get up off them MVPs.”

The last six MVP titles have gone to big men. Apart from Jokic’s three, Joel Embiid won the award in 2023. Before that, Giannis Antetokounmpo won two MVPs as a power forward. James Harden was the last guard to win it in 2018.

Wade thinks that bigs have become an obvious choice, similar to how the quarterbacks win MVPs in the NFL.

He said that sometimes the receiver, cornerback, or running back should also get the nod for MVP. Wade mentioned how Saquon Barkley, the running back for the Eagles, is a strong contender to win the MVP this season. The NBA legend wants to see something similar in the NBA and SGA is his pick for the honor.

While Wade’s sentiment is understandable, Jokic had a season worthy of the MVP title last year. He averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9 assists in 79 games while shooting 58.3% from the field and 35.9% from the three-point line. SGA, on the other hand, averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.5 rebounds in 75 games on 53.5% shooting from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shared his thoughts on the MVP selection process

Shai has been an MVP contender for the last few seasons. However, he has been edged by Jokic in quite a few encounters. The OKC star recently spoke to ESPN about the selection process for the MVP title. He stated that the playoffs should carry some weight in the process because it shows whether the team benefitted from an individual’s performance or not.

He said, “Nothing matters in this game if you don’t win and the award is finished being selected before the playoffs…so these games don’t go into it. So I think it should matter a lot.” In March 2024, he spoke about the importance of winning the MVP title.

He said, “It’s something that I try not to put too much thought or emphasis on and let the chips fall where they may, but it’s something that I definitely want. If I achieve it and am blessed enough to get the award, I’ll be very happy.”

He is a strong contender for MVP once again, only behind Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. This could be the year when SGA gets to realize his dreams.