On Monday evening, the Oklahoma City Thunder suffered a rare loss, dropping a home game to the Denver Nuggets in what was a rematch of Oklahoma City’s blowout win over Denver the day before. The tandem of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray was elite in this one, combining for nearly 70 points in the victory, which dropped the Thunder’s record to 53-12.
The NBA MVP race is largely viewed as a two man contest between Nikola Jokic and Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 25 in the loss on Monday. While Gilgeous-Alexander is currently the favorite to win the award, recently, ESPN analyst Shannon Sharpe broke down how he sees things.
“(Jokic) is the best basketball player in basketball,” said Sharpe, via First Take on X, formerly Twitter. “If you dribble a basketball and you breathe oxygen, Nikola Jokic is it, and nobody’s close. As great as Shai is playing, Nikola Jokic is averaging 29, 13, and 11. He is about to average a triple double for the season. And Shai, he’s earned that MVP. But did you say what this man did last night?”
In his comments, Sharpe seems to be reiterating the comment sentiment that Jokic remains the league’s best player but Gilgeous-Alexander is likely to take home the MVP award due to a combination of his own dominance on the West’s top seed as well as potential voter fatigue over three-time winner Jokic.
Will SGA win the MVP?
The fact that Monday’s 25 points would be considered an off night for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shows just how brilliant the star point guard has been for the Thunder this year, averaging well north of 30 points per game and orchestrating one of the league’s most efficient offenses in the process.
Perhaps the most overlooked part of Gilgeous-Alexander’s game is his defense, as he is currently a fringe candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year award and a large reason why the Thunder boast the best defense in the NBA by a country mile.
Jokic’s combination of otherworldly passing and playmaking may give him the edge in the “best overall player” discussion, but it certainly seems likely that Gilgeous-Alexander will take home his first MVP trophy this May.
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