Nikola Jokic Receives High MVP Praise From Nuggets Teammate
The question of who should win the MVP award in the NBA always seems to be a very debatable topic.
The last two seasons, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has won this illustrious award, but not before many tried to make cases for Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks).
This season though, there will be a lot more than just three names being in the mix for this award, as the race for the league’s Most Valuable Player award is wide open with plenty of superstar talents staking their claim for the award.
Not only are Jokic, Embiid and Antetokounmpo once again involved in the mix, but Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks), Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers) and others are putting together MVP-like seasons.
As things stand right now, many are putting Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic at the top of their “mid-season MVP rankings” and Jokic is receiving a lot of love from his teammates.
On a recent episode of The Fast Break Podcast, Nuggets’ rookie Christian Braun talked about having Jokic as his teammate and why he believes the reigning two-time MVP is trending forwards winning his third consecutive MVP award.
“I would say that it starts with his daily routine,” Braun stated in regards to what separates Jokic from the league’s other stars. “He does the same exact routine every warmup and every stretch every day. He comes in, he brings the same energy and the same focus and he’s not afraid to be a leader. He’ll grab you and be like ‘Hey, these five minutes we are stretching, you need to take this seriously,’ so his routine and his dedication to his craft is impressive.
“There is not a single player in this league that can stop him one-on-one and the best part about Nikola is obviously that he is super unselfish as far as passing goes. He is a Top-5 scorer in this league, he’s probably the best passer in the league and he’s just a guy that can do all the little things.”
When asked about Nikola Jokic’s chances of winning another MVP award, Braun did not hold back stating that his teammate is the best player in the NBA.
“I think there is no question,” Braun stated in response to Jokic possibly winning his third straight MVP award. “I think that right now, especially being the top team in the West, getting a triple-double every night while making the right play, while being the guy defensively getting deflections, getting out and running in transition, hitting shots, getting guys in the right place. I mean, he just does everything, so that right there is quite literally the definition of most valuable player.
“He says he’s not focused on that and that he wants to make winning plays, so he wouldn’t care about the award. He wants to win and he puts us in the best position to do so.”
Currently 26-13, the Denver Nuggets are tied for the top-spot in the Western Conference and they are right behind the Boston Celtics for the best record in the entire league.
At the center of their success, no pun intended, is big man Nikola Jokic and he not only leads his team in almost every single statistical category, but he ranks 17th in the league in scoring, 6th in rebounding, 3rd in assists and 1st in player efficiency rating.
It is important to note that every single player who has won the NBA’s MVP award since the start of the 2015-16 season has led the league in player efficiency rating.
Should Nikola Jokic win his third straight MVP award, he will join the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (8), Bill Russell (5), Michael Jordan (5), Wilt Chamberlain (4), LeBron James (4), Moses Malone (3), Larry Bird (3) and Magic Johnson (3) as the only players in league history to win the award three times.
In addition, he would join Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird as the only players in league history to win the award in three consecutive seasons.
To Christian Braun and the rest of the Denver Nuggets organization, Nikola Jokic is their leader and without a doubt the most valuable player in the NBA.
“Nikola has put out some of the most impressive numbers I have ever seen and we are a winning team, so I definitely think he is the MVP in this league.”
Be sure to catch up on the newest episode of The Fast Break Podcast hosted by Fastbreak's own Brett Siegel!
Streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, The Fast Break Podcast takes you inside the league with the latest news, intel, rumors and interviews from those close to the action for all 30 teams. Be on the lookout for a new episodes every Friday.
