By Angel Rivera 
This year’s mvp race is actually the biggest toss up in recent memory without question.
Everyone not named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Nikola Jokic is fighting for 3rd because these
two are the best players in the world, it’s not even close AT ALL. No disrespect to Giannis
Antetoukounmpo or Jayson Tatum, but it’s really been about SGA and The Joker. Jokic just had
a crazy 60 point TRIPLE DOUBLE, yes 60 point triple double. Not that long ago he also posted
a 30 20 and 20 game!!!! SGA is a scoring machine averaging 32 ppg on incredible efficiency.
Also he’s leading the best team in the league who’s on pace to have the best net rating at 13.5
in NBA history, which would surpass the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls. A crazy stat I read the other
day was that for 884 minutes, the Thunder have led by 15 or more points, for 855 minutes they
were trailing opponents. This MVP race is basically just individual dominance vs individual AND
team dominance.
Now the Nuggets are no slouch either, but without Jokic playing, they are the 2nd worst team in
the league behind the Washington Wizards with a net rating of -9.39. Jokic sat out Wednesday’s
game against the Spurs who are also mediocre without Victor Wembanyama and LOST. Just
goes to show you without Jokic on the floor they are significantly worse. People will tell you that
the Nuggets roster is nice, but they are elevated way more when he plays as to when he’s not
available. Jokic is top 3 in ppg and 2nd in assists, while also being top 10 in field goal
percentage. This has to be one of his most efficient seasons ever. There’s only been 2 players
in history who have averaged a triple double for a season: Russell Westbrook and Oscar
Robertson, Russ did it 4 times. Funny enough Russ is Jokic’s teammate which is crazy to think
about if you would’ve told me that would happen back in 2017. Jokic is on pace to average a
triple double this year and will be the first center to ever do so. He is one of the most brilliant
passers I’ve ever seen grace an NBA floor. His only flaw to his game is his defense, which is
the next candidate’s strength, SGA.
Mr. Consistency aka Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been nothing other than consistent this year.
For starters he has the most 30,40 AND 50 point games this season. He’s scored 40 more times
than they have losses. Mind you not half the games he’s played in, he’s sat out in the 4th
because of blowouts and he still gets his 30 ball in 3 quarters. There’s only 2 other people who
average 30 overall and one of them is Jokic. Shai has taken a leap with his 3 ball, shooting 37%
on nearly 6 attempts, a career high. Nearly a 50/40/90 guy and in this league it’s very hard to do
as only 9 players have ever done so. Only Steph Curry has done it while averaging 30 ppg. It’s
clear he’s one of the most efficient offensive players in this league. His ability to get to the free
throw line gets questioned but it’s a skill. Being able to draw fouls and use your IQ to catch the
defender to your advantage just gives him more opportunities to score while putting people in
foul trouble. On the defensive side of the ball, he’s averaging nearly 2 steals a game, he’s
behind his teammate Cason Wallace who’s also a great defender. SGA has had the 3rd most
games with 5 or more stocks a game (steals+blocks). Just to point out how elite this Thunder
defense is, Shai isn’t even a top 3 defender on his team, and yet he’s arguably a top 10 on ball
defender in the league. SGA has led his team to such dominance while missing players
throughout the year, including his main big Chet Holmgren. A fully healthy OKC team might be
untouchable for the rest of the league if they aren’t already.
Taking a page from Lakers coach JJ Reddick’s book but “the kids may say i’m glazing” both
Jokic and Shai but they are phenomenal players. Seeing them both play makes u realize the
gap from 1-2 vs the rest of the league. Both players are 2-2 in their matchups against each
other. It’s a pretty close contest when they are head to head and it’s also a matchup I’m looking
forward to seeing in the playoffs. These two teams are the favorites in the West in my opinion.
That’s considering that the Nuggets are the 4th seed now, that partially had to do with Jokic
missing games while the Rockets have stayed hot (my Rockets by the way). If the season
ended today, the Thunder would host Denver in the 2nd round, if both teams advance past the
1st round. Obviously I’m not predicting the future but it’s just a hypothetical as well as what
could happen.
If I had to give my pick on who the MVP is, I honestly can’t decide until the regular season is
officially over. That’s how close this race is. It’s been neck and neck from the start. Either or
would be a great choice as they both deserve to win it. Jokic is aiming for his 4th MVP in 5
years, Shai is looking for his very 1st. Shai is the favorite as of now, voter fatigue also plays a
part in this. However, there is no true winner as of now. We will have to see who gets crowned
MVP when it’s time.
Joel Perez