Jalen Brunson questions NBA MVP narratives surrounding Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic
01/13/2025 11:52 AM
Nikola Jokic is still arguably the MVP favorite despite the fact that the Denver Nuggets are not currently a top three seed. Denver is currently fourth in the Western Conference, but Jokic’s incredible season makes it seem likely that he is on track for his fourth NBA MVP Award. However, why wasn’t that the case in 2023-24 when Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic almost averaged a triple-double while his team finished fifth overall in the West?
It seemed as if the fact that Doncic’s Mavs finished fifth played a big role in his third place MVP finish despite his jaw-dropping 33.9 points, 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game averages. Doncic’s former teammate and current New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson recently questioned the situation during an episode of The Roommates Show, via ClutchPoints.
“Jokic is playing absolutely absurd. His numbers are crazy,” Brunson said. “[The Nuggets are] not seeded where they were last year… and people are still talking about him like being MVP. Individually, he deserves it. But when Luka was averaging damn near triple-double, but [the Mavs] seed wasn’t where people wanted it to be, they were like, ‘Oh, he shouldn’t get MVP because of seeding’… Why do certain narratives work for some of the people?”
Jokic earned his third career NBA MVP Award in the 2023-24 season after averaging 26.4 points, 9.0 assists and 12.4 rebounds per outing. The Nuggets ultimately finished with the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder finished as the No. 1 seed in the West, and Gilgeous-Alexander, who recorded 30.1 points, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds per outing, was ultimately second in MVP voting.
So did the Mavs’ regular season finish play a role in Doncic not earning stronger MVP consideration? It is possible, but Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed strong seasons without question. Still, Doncic’s numbers were incredible, and one has to imagine that he would have won the MVP had Dallas finished as a top seed in the conference.
The NBA should take notice of Brunson’s comments.
The post Jalen Brunson questions NBA MVP narratives surrounding Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic appeared first on ClutchPoints.
