Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic continues to expand his legacy as one of the greatest NBA players of all time by winning his third Most Valuable Player trophy.
The superstar of Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokiccontinues to expand his legacy as one of the greatest NBA players of all time by winning his third NBA trophy. Most valuable Player.
Nikola Jokic won the award for the third time in four seasons, succeeding MVP from last season, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.
He edged out Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who finished second and third, respectively, in the voting.
Nikola Jokic won his third MVP award in the NBA. Photo: Getty
Nikola Jokic He is the first center in six decades to win the MVP three times in four seasons; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it from 1973-74 to 1976-77.
“It’s hard to tell greatness from greatness,” Denver head coach Michael Malone said in early April about how Jokic has improved from previous MVP seasons. “And that’s what it’s been for a number of years. I know over the last six years we’ve had by far the best record in the Western Conference and only second in the NBA behind, I think, Milwaukee in that time.”
In its ninth season, Nikola Jokic He played in 79 games, his most since playing 80 games during the 2018-19 season. He joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to finish in the top five in total points (fifth), rebounds (third) and assists (second) in multiple seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Elgin Baylor is the only other player to do it once.
Nikola Jokic He is also the second player to record 2,000 points, 900 rebounds and 600 assists in a season, joining Oscar Robertson.
He averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists, all in the top 10 in each statistical category. He recorded 25 triple-doubles, second only to Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis (26), while averaging 58.3% from the field and 35.9% from behind the arc.
Powered by Nikola Jokic, Denver finished the season fifth in offensive efficiency, eighth in defensive efficiency and fourth in net rating. The Nuggets were one of four teams to rank in the top 10 in all three, along with the Celtics, Knicks and Thunder.
While Denver had the best starting five in the league, Jokic’s value was undeniable to Denver. The Nuggets They posted a net efficiency of plus-11.8 when Jokic was on the court, but minus-8.6 when he wasn’t. Jokic led the NBA with a plus-682 plus-minus. The Nuggets were -251 with their franchise player off the court.
Of course, the humble Jokic often says he doesn’t care as much about individual honors as he does the championship. Jokic is trying to lead the Nuggets to repeat as world champions.
If he does, the Nuggets big man will have accomplished a four-year streak that only four other all-time greats have accomplished. LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Bill Russell are the only players to have won three regular season MVPs and two titles in a four-year span.
“Nikola has matured and his ability to continue to make everyone around him better,” Malone said. “And when you win a championship, we’re going to get it back, but instead of Bruce [Brown] and Jeff [Green]we are going to try to put young players and the fact that we have a better record than last year.
“And we’ve had Jamal Murray lost [23] games. That tells Nikola that he understands that it is still my responsibility as a great player to help. [a los jugadores de rol más jóvenes]as well as all the other guys, to understand what their roles are, how to play on both ends of the floor and, most importantly, make those guys better.”
ESPN Stats & Info contributed to this report.
2024-05-08 23:44:00
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