As this year’s NBA season wraps up, the race for MVP has turned into a two-horse race between Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Dončić and Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić, an equine expression which the latter no doubt appreciates.
Only one European giant will be left standing when the voting ends, and perhaps to no one’s surprise, Mavericks star Kyrie Irving thinks the MVP should be Dončić.
After the Dallas’ 111-92 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday, Irving gave a compelling case for why the Slovenian star was deserving of the league’s distinct individual honor.
“We all knew how special this year was going to be,” said Irving. “We knew how special this year was going to be just based on our practices, what Luka was doing, showcasing that all the time, really being more vocal, challenging his teammates, challenging me, and doing it in his own way. And I think that’s the true sign of an MVP.”
With two games remaining in the season, Dončić is expected to win his first NBA scoring title, averaging 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game. No player in league history has ever recorded such numbers in all three of those categories in a single season.
“His stats speak for themselves. He’s first in a lot of different categories. He’s held the team up when I wasn’t able to be in the lineup,” continued Irving. “Me as a brother of his, I have the utmost love and support to give him during this time because I want to see him win MVP. If it’s not going to be this year, it’s going to be in the eventual future, in the near future.”
Dončić’sMVP campaign may nonetheless be spoiled by Nuggets big man Nikola Jokić, the widely considered frontrunner who could clinch his third MVP award in the last four years. Jokić currently ranks first in total plus-minus and registers in the top-five in total points, rebounds and assists, not to mention Denver (56-24) is vying for the No. 1 seed in the uber-competitive Western Conference.
