A couple of season ago when Jokic won his first MVP, back in those Disqus days, I totally did not agree with that decision. Others in the forum did and even went as far to accuse me as having something personal against Nikola. Even to this day I find that idea notion, as I don't see how any true fan of the NBA could hate Jokic.
The heart of my argument was this. First, for someone who is considered the Most Valuable Player in the entire league, Jokic like never led the Nuggets to any type of significant achievement. Yes, he does deserve credit for keeping the team respectable, i.e. making the Playoffs, even when Murray and Porter Jr. were hurt. But it wasn't like he alone was taking them to the next level type shit, not like, say, Jordan or Lebron were able to do when they were stuck on lackluster rosters.
But really what ruffled my feathers is that fact the C is, traditionally, the most-important defensive position and basketball, and like Jokic can't really defend for shit. It's like he doesn't even really try, because that's not his strong suit. Meanwhile every MVP I can think of off the top of my head, with the exception of Karl Malone maybe, were all exceptionable defensive and offensive players.
But the purpose of this post is not to engage in any Jokic bashing. I believe I already stated before that Doncic, imo, is the best player in the NBA, but he has his defensive issues also. So if I were to start a team and can pick anyone as my franchise player, that would Giannis, even though Luka is a virtuoso.
Guru I may be, I don't always get predictions right. For instance when the season first started, I thought the Bucks were going to be mediocre because #1 they didn't make any upgrades during the offseason and #2 Khris Middleton is still hurt and may be so permanently. I also thought that maybe the pressure of carrying this team, as in keeping them in contending status, might be too much for Giannis. And yes, the season is still young. But so far, that prediction has proven to way off.
Instead, what Giannis is doing to proving that he's a true MVP, i.e. a player who can 'singlehandedly' make a mediocre roster a threat to win a championship. In other words, he has stepped up to the challenge and, imo, elevated his game. Awhile back I likened him to a combination of AI and Shaq. And now it's like he's also caught on to that reality, that not only can he dominate inside but is also faster than most players. And it's like, God bless Jason Kidd for teaching son how to dribble.
And in terms of last season's disappointment, well, let me say that anyone who reads this blog knows that I believe the NBA, for whatever reasons of their own, favors who they will, and that dynamic changes from season-to-season. And I do believe that last season, the powers-that-be wanted the Celtics to go to the Finals, just like I believe they wanted the Bucks to beat the Suns the year prior.
CONCLUSION
As it currently stands, the NBA (in conjunction with KIA) has Giannis ranked number 1 in terms of who's the MVP so far. Meanwhile Jokic, despite putting up impressive numbers as usual, isn't even the top 5. And Giannis has always, in reality, been better than Jokic. So hopefully by the climax 2022-23, he'll be recognized as such, and we won't have a situation where the winner of the award is highly-debatable.
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