Out in Colorado, Denver Nuggets fans want to see Nikola Jokic claim his fourth MVP award, preventing a repeat for the Oklahoma City Thunder star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
At this point, polls, surveys, sportsbooks, and scattered predictions all seem to think that Jokic will ultimately land in the No. 2 or 3 spot.
The Golden State Warriors star forward Draymond Green isn’t any different with his thinking.
During a recent episode of The Draymond Green Show, the star Warriors veteran revealed his picks. Jokic expectedly landed in Green’s top five. However, he takes a popular–and often infamous–stance on the reason why.
Draymond Green Ranks Nikola Jokic No. 3 For MVP
“In an ideal world, Joker would be higher,” Green said.
“He led the league in assists, and he led the league in rebounds. Sometimes with Joker, and I apologize, sometimes people get fatigued with greatness.”
Unfortunately, that’s been the narrative for quite some time. As Jokic continues to dominate the NBA, he gets his recognition with nods as a finalist. But when it comes to winning MVP, he might miss out for the second season in a row, despite putting together historic numbers on a championship-caliber team.
As for Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Green explained his reasoning behind picking them above Jokic.
“The force that he’s been on the defensive end has been absolutely incredible,” Green said of Wembanyama. “He’s a mismatch problem every single night. If he gets anywhere near the rim, they just throw the ball to the rim, he’s the only person who can get it.”
“[Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] is still doing what he’s doing on a nightly basis, putting up 30 points and carrying his team, and I think it’s beautiful to watch,” Green explained.
“I think Wemby has to do some things to go take it. I don’t think it can be neck and neck and get the nod over the guy who has already won MVP. Maybe next year Wemby can go take it, but this year, I got Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as back-to-back, most valuable player in the league.”
Nikola Jokic Loses Steam In The MVP Battle
Ballots will be submitted this week, and it seems that Jokic doesn’t have the same support as he did during the 2023-2024 season, when he last won MVP.
This year, Jokic just made the 65-game minimum for the NBA to consider him qualified to win awards. Throughout the year, Jokic averaged a triple-double. He posted averages of 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists. As Green mentioned, Jokic led the NBA in rebounds and assists per game.
If Jokic is a finalist, it would mark the sixth season in a row.