Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić was awarded his third Most Valuable Player award in four years on Wednesday, and he became just the ninth three-time MVP in NBA history.
Retired All-Star Gilbert Arenas didn't hold back when sharing his opinion on the MVP race, stating that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserved the award over Jokić. Arenas argued that Jokić relies heavily on guard Jamal Murray, which should have hurt his case.
“Are we going to ignore the fact that he is not the go-to guy when it counts? [Murray] is the guy who Jokić relies on to hit those buckets,” Arenas said on an episode of the Nightcap show.
“[Murray] becomes the number-one option when the game is on the line, so you're giving the MVP to a guy who, when it counts, has to give it to another guy.”
The main argument in support of Gilgeous-Alexander is that his Thunder earned a higher seed than the Nuggets, while posting equally impressive stats. Not to mention, Alexander is the “go-to guy” for the Thunder that Arenas claims Jokić isn’t.
It’s tough to expect the Serbian superstar to always take the final shot as a 6-foot-11 big man who's known as a terrific passer. Certain scenarios require a 3-pointer, where Murray shot a career-high 42.5% in the regular season.
On the season, Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 58.3% from the field. Meanwhile, SGA averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 53.5% from the field.
The postseason supports Arenas’ idea to an extent, as Murray’s struggles are playing a key role in the Nuggets dropping their first two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
