Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray went on a Twitter tirade to defend teammate Nikola Jokic, who has been the subject of criticism amid a tight MVP race.
The “nba mvp candidates 2021” is a list of the top NBA players who are in the running for MVP this season. The list includes Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, and other NBA stars.
The majority of NBA superstars have outspoken personalities, or their athleticism lands them on SportsCenter almost every night. Nikola Jokic, on the other hand, is not one of them.
The star of the Denver Nuggets doesn’t get much notice. He seems to be a loner who doesn’t go out of his way to humiliate opponents with big dunks.
He is, nevertheless, still the NBA’s most dominating player.
This year, Jokic may have been the least-talked-about reigning MVP in history. While the media usually focuses on Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, or even Demar Derozan, Jokic has been mostly unnoticed while guiding his Nuggets to a decent record.
Jamal Murray, one of his teammates, has an issue with it. Murray recently slammed Jokic’s detractors and argued that he deserved a second MVP award in a row.
Nikola Jokic isn’t your normal MVP candidate in the NBA.
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NBA MVPs have often had unbelievable athleticism or superstar personalities during the previous decade or so. As a result of these attributes, they are among the most talked-about athletes.
In 2007-08, Kobe Bryant won it, and between 2008-09 and 2012-13, LeBron James won it four times in five seasons. They’re two of the most well-known NBA luminaries of all time. Their personalities drew crowds, and James was (and still is) one of the most athletic players in NBA history.
In their primes, superstars like Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and Giannis Antetokounmpo were capable of running and jumping with anybody. Not to mention Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and James Harden, three of the best scorers in NBA history with devoted followings.
Nikola Jokic, the champion of the 2020-21 season, is unique in many aspects. He doesn’t produce highlight-reel plays, and his jersey didn’t even crack the top 15 on the NBA’s best-seller list this year.
He still has the upper hand, however.
Last season, Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists. He also connected on 56.6 percent of his shots and 38.8 percent of his three-point attempts. With those figures, he won his first MVP award.
This year, he’s been even more spectacular.
Per game, Jokic averages 25.4 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists. In addition, he’s hitting 56.7 percent of his shots. What’s more amazing is that the Nuggets’ other two scorers have been sidelined for the whole season. Jamal Murray has been out with a knee ailment since last season, while Michael Porter Jr. has only played in nine games because of a back issue. Jokic, on the other hand, had a 36-26 record with the Nuggets.
Murray recently praised Jokic for his contributions to the Nuggets’ success.
Nikola Jokic haters were slammed by Jamal Murray.
The Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray (from right) and Nikola Jokic react during a first-round playoff game on Aug. 17, 2020. | Getty Images/Ashley Landis-Pool
In Denver, Jamal Murray had a front-row seat to Nikola Jokic’s excellence. He’s also lately slammed supporters who despise the big guy.
“I watch some of these people on social media talk about him not being the MVP, and if you actually have played basketball or watched basketball, he dominates the game without jumping out of the gym, without moving the fastest, and he’s just picking defenses apart—being he’s double-teamed every possession—and still averaging a triple-double without his two main scorers out there on the court,” Murray told Complex.
“How much more do you want him to do?” he continued. For you to be satisfied, he has to essentially go up and dunk between his legs. He does everything that a championship squad need, and it’s self-explanatory. Every time he gets on the floor, he’s the Most Valuable Player.”
Murray makes a lot of good arguments. Jokic isn’t an MVP just because he doesn’t “go up and dunk between his legs.” And if all goes according to plan, he may win the honor once again this season.
In the NBA MVP race, where does he stand?
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The NBA MVP race has been close throughout the season, but it has boiled down to three players: Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Both Embiid and Antetokounmpo have had outstanding seasons. Without Ben Simmons, the former is averaging 29.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists while leading the Philadelphia 76ers to great success (until the team traded for James Harden last month). Giannis is also enjoying a fantastic season with the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 29.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 6.0 assists.
Other players in the discussion are DeMar DeRozan, Ja Morant, and Luka Doncic, to name a few. Jokic, on the other hand, has to be the favorite.
On their teams, everyone mentioned above has more to work with. With only a little help from his teammates, Jokic is leading Denver to victory.
Overall, Nikola Jokic has a chance to join an elite group this year if he wins another MVP award. And he’d go down in NBA history as the least-talked-about two-time MVP.
Basketball Reference provided the statistics.
Bill Walton gushed over Nikola Jokic in a way that only Bill Walton can.
Related Tags
- nba mvp voting
- mvp leaders
- 2006 nba mvp
