Austin Reaves Shares Bold Nikola Jokic vs. Joel Embiid Take
After winning the league MVP award in back-to-back seasons, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was a finalist again last season, but the award went to Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid. While Embiid was a deserving recipient, some believe voter fatigue is what allowed him to win over Jokic. This is the stance that Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves recently took on the Full Send Podcast, saying, "I think it was just voter fatigue."
Reaves added that an argument could have been made for Embiid or Jokic, but he believes voter fatigue ultimately hurt the Nuggets star. Reaves got a close up look at Jokic's greatness during the Western Conference Finals, as he and the Lakers were swept by the Nuggets. There was nothing the Lakers could do to slow down Jokic and the Nuggets, even with one of the NBA's best defensive bigs in Anthony Davis.
While Jokic missed out on winning his third-straight league MVP award, he gladly settled for his first championship and Finals MVP award. Silencing all the narratives about his perceived inability to succeed in a playoff setting, Jokic broke countless records en route to Denver's first title in franchise history.
Becoming the first player in NBA history to lead a playoff run in total points, assists, and rebounds, Jokic dominated the game in every single way. It's hard to imagine another player doing what Jokic did this past postseason, as he placed himself into a different tier of superstardom.
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