The most recent results from ESPN’s final MVP straw poll have started a new round of discussions. Fans and players alike should be excited about the tight race for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award. Congratulate Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, who is aiming high. He would become just the fourth player ever to win four MVPs in only five seasons, joining Larry Bird, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. The poll results show that it’s a very tight contest. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder has opened up a significant lead.
ESPN’s controversial voting system gives more points to higher-ranked teams. First-place votes are weighted the heaviest at ten points, with second place receiving seven points, third five points, fourth three points and fifth one point. This ordered method makes way for a multitude of recognized metrics that fairly measure players’ performances on the court all season long.
In our most recent straw poll, Jokic amassed a staggering 769 points. This accomplishment puts him squarely back in the top two MVP favor for the fifth consecutive year. While he was wildly successful as the Harlequins head coach, he did struggle a bit in the opening public polls of the 2022-23 campaign. He never finished better than fourth and was consistently bouncing between fourth and sixth overall.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was far ahead of the competition, winning 77 of the 100 first-place votes in that second straw poll. Sheer dominance has landed Tatum a stronghold over Jokic, which only fuels the fire around a potential MVP debate. With a lead of 52 percent, LeBron James’s influence on this straw poll was arguably most pronounced in coming in sixth place overall. As it was, he got one third place, two fourth place, and ten fifth place votes.
Jokic’s poise to keep producing at a high level with injuries from his own team has earned him raves from scouts. One scout specifically pointed to his work keeping the Nuggets afloat during massive adversity. He went on to boldly predict, “I’d pick Jokic for keeping that team above water with all the injuries and lack of depth.” The Thunder are great everywhere. That’s the problem, because there’s a reason they’re going to win 70 games. His stats would be seen as a statistical anomaly in NBA history. It’s Wilt Chamberlain-esque.
Another scout echoed this sentiment, acknowledging the tough competition posed by Gilgeous-Alexander while reaffirming Jokic’s continual improvement: “Jokic. It’s hard, just because OKC is playing so well, and Shai is great. Jokic just continues to improve his game.”
As the season moves forward, there are still doubts what kind of adjustments opposing teams can make to combat Jokic in a playoff series. A Western Conference executive noted the uncertainty inherent in playoff matchups: “Let’s see how he does against game planning for him over a seven-game series. There’s just a whole host of stuff that you don’t know until you experience it.
Excitement only abounds in letting the story of the MVP unfold. Jokic continues to play at an elite level and play his way into the history books. Fans dream of the results of regular season games going their way and creating potential playoff matchups.
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