The hot question in the NBA right now is if Nikola Jokic can win his 3rd MVP in 4 years this season. The Denver Nuggets star is in a race with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic in the MVP race. Although he is at the top of the NBA.com ladder, some fans are predicting Doncic to receive his first MVP this season. If this happens, it could be controversial, as Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks are the 5th seed currently, while Jokic and the Nuggets are tied with Timberwolves for the 1st seed. However, Gilbert Arenas is here to defend this scenario, if it turns into reality. 

In his podcast, Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe, Arenas spoke about Jokic’s 2021 season in which he won his first MVP. Arenas shared, “He is the worst MVP winner in the last forty years.” To back it up, he shared a detailed analysis. The former Washington Wizard star continued, “When you are talking about the MVP…their teams was the first and second place. The people who won the MVP, their teams were first and second.” However, there were a few standout MVP seasons, like 1988 and 2017, where Michael Jordan and Russell Westbrook won, respectively. 

Arenas threw light into the above two historic MVPs. “When Jordan won it, his team record, they were 7th in the NBA. That year he averaged 35(points), 6(assists), 5(rebounds), 3 steals, All-Star MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Scoring title, steals leader…Historic year!” He added, “When Westbrook won it, his team had the 10th-best record. Triple-double! He did something amazing.”

In 2021, Jokic won the MVP by averaging 26.4 points, 8.3 assists, and 10.8 rebounds. Notably, the Denver Nuggets finished 5th in the West that season. Arenas did not find this to be a historic season, and thus the tag, “Worst MVP winner”.

Is Gilbert Arenas hinting that Luka Doncic should win the MVP this year?  

The Serbian center is averaging 26.4 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 9 assists, and is at the top of the MVP ladder. At the same time, Doncic is averaging 33.9 points(1st in the NBA), 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists(2nd in the NBA). Well, that’s something we don’t see quite often. Moreover, now Arenas has made a case for Doncic to win the MVP. If Jokic can win the MVP in 2021, despite the Nuggets finishing at the 5th seed, then Doncic has a great shot too this season, as the Mavericks are at the 5th seed currently.

Is Luka Doncic Getting Overlooked for the MVP Race?

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On top of this, a few NBA analysts have sided with the Slovenian guard over the last few weeks to win the MVP. However, Doncic and Jokic are least interested in this huge honor. The Mavericks superstar said, “That’s for the media. I’m happy we’re winning, man.”, while Jokic said, “I don’t think about MVPs anymore” after Joel Embiid won his first MVP last year. So do you agree with Arenas? Can Doncic beat the odds? 

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