Nikola Jokic is not enthusiastic about “re-elected most valuable player”. His attitude can be seen as early as the interview at the beginning of the season. He even used “couldn’t care less” to express that he doesn’t care very much.
However, the glory that belongs to him still belongs to him after all.ESPNIt was confirmed Monday that Jokic was named MVP for the 2021-22 season, making him the 13th player in the league to win this honor for “two consecutive years”. Congratulations to the Joker!
Before this, which stars have achieved such an achievement?
Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone and Tim Duncan are the stars of the restricted area, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan teamed up to rule the 1980s and 1990s, and more recently Steve Nash, LeBron James, Steph Curry With Giannis Antetokounmpo – each of them are ace killers that frighten their opponents and influence the development of many new generation players.
Nikola Jokic was the “only” non-first-round pick among them, once again providing an inspirational example for the famous saying “Heroes are not afraid of low birth.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who won last year’s championship, is still competitive. Joel Embiid’s “re-evolution” has also made him a highly sought-after candidate.
However, without waiting for the support of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., Jokic still relied on superhuman performance, allowing the Nuggets to enter the playoffs with a record of “48 wins and 34 losses” and fight against the Golden State Warriors. It took 5 games to be eliminated.
The Bucks and 76ers have a complete lineup, and they both won 51 in the regular season. In contrast, Jokic, who “carries” the team to compete with the big powers, has shown more amazing competitiveness, and the award is well deserved.
Judging from traditional data, Jokic’s transcript is also very eye-catching. He played in 74 games this season, averaging 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and a shooting percentage of 58.3%.
Considering that he has been double-teamed more frequently and defended more frequently this season, it is incredible that he can still improve his “points”, “rebounds”, “shooting percentage” and other statistics.
In addition, averaging 7.9 assists per game ranks eighth in the league, ahead of Jokic are Chris Paul, James Harden, Trae Toung, Dejounte Murray, Luka Doncic, Darius Garland, all top guards in the league. This list won’t feature another “non-guard” player until No. 13, Draymond Green.
| Nikola Jokic | play | time | Score | FG% | 3P% | FT% | backboard | assist | interception | block attack | mistake | foul |
| 2020-21 | 72 | 34:33 | 26.4 | 56.6 | 38.8 | 86.8 | 10.8 | 8.3 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 2.7 |
| 2021-22 | 74 | 33:27 | 27.1 | 58.3 | 33.7 | 81.0 | 13.8 | 7.9 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 3.8 | 2.6 |
| Career | 527 | 30:23 | 19.7 | 54.2 | 34.5 | 83.0 | 10.4 | 6.2 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 2.8 |
Throughout the season, Jokic also made 66 “Double Tens” and 19 “Big Threes”, and led the team in scoring in 39 games. The incomplete lineup seems to have stimulated his higher potential.
Even though Murray, MPJ, and PJ Dozier are all free from injuries, Jokic’s nugget still has the sixth-best offense in the NBA. Monte Morris and Jeff Green took on more responsibilities than in previous years, and Aaron Gordon, who was originally positioned as a defensive lock, was also forced to jump to the second scoring point, averaging 15.0 points per game.
Faced with such a predicament, Jokic did not complain too much. Instead, he continued to create offensive opportunities with selfless passing. After the game, he continued to bring confidence to his teammates. He maintained the team together with senior players DeMarcus Cousins ​​and Will Barton. The 27-year-old Joker is undoubtedly the most reassuring presence on the team.
At Star Week in Cleveland, Jokic responded with a rather poised response to reporters’ questions. He said that this year’s MVP is highly regarded, and as long as the award goes to a big man, he is very happy.
This remark doesn’t explicitly name Antetokounmpo, Embiid, or himself, but it still lets fans know where the standards are in Jokic’s heart, which is very personal.
“I just wanted to stay humble and keep my feet on the ground,” Jokic said in an interview that the nugget said that day.beat the Grizzlies at home. “To be honest, I don’t think about ‘Am I the strongest?’, all I want is to win the game well.”