According to ESPN, Jokic was named MVP of the 2021-22 regular season. Some people will say that the Nuggets ended their playoff journey early, why was Jokic elected? This season's official MVP candidate list is Embiid, Jokic and Alphabet Brother, so what is Jokic's advantage over Alphabet Brother and Embiid?
Although the Nuggets were out in the first round of the playoffs, Jokic's performance in the regular season cannot be denied. Jokic's average of 27.1 points per game, 13.8 rebounds per game, 7.9 assists per game, 1.5 steals per game, 0.9 blocks per game, and 58 percent shooting percentage per game are all in the Nuggets. In addition, when Jokic was on the floor, the Nuggets netted 444 points, and when Jokic went off, the Nuggets lost to the opponent by 255 points, and his role in the Nuggets was clear at a glance.
In the playoffs, the Nuggets were eliminated by the Warriors in the first round with 4-1, and Alphabet Brother and Embiid are both leading the team in the second round, with the Bucks leading the Celtics 2-1 and the 76ers drawing 2-2 with the Heat. Compared with Jokic's early exit, the hope of Alphabet Brother and Embiid leading the team further is not small.
Of course, the regular season MVP is selected, and we are here to discuss the playoff record is somewhat unfair to Jokic, let's first look at the data of the three in the regular season:
Embiid has played in 68 games this season, averaging 30.6 points (1st) 11.7 rebounds (5th) 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 blocks in 33.8 minutes per game, shooting 49.9 percent from the field, shooting 37.1 percent from three-point range, shooting 81.4 percent from the free throws, plus or minus 5.4, and contributing 21.2 (2nd) to the game, and the 76ers have a 51-31 record this season, fourth in the East.
Jokic has played in 74 games this season, averaging 27.1 points (8th) 13.8 rebounds (2nd) 7.9 assists (8th) 1.5 steals and 0.9 blocks from the field, shooting 58.3 percent from three-point range, 81 percent from the free throw line, plus or minus 6, 23 (1st) in games, and the Nuggets' record this season is 48-34, sixth in the West.
Alphabet brother has played in 67 games this season, averaging 29.9 points (3rd) 11.6 rebounds (6th) 5.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks in 32.9 minutes per game, shooting 55.3% from the field, shooting 29.3% from three-point range, shooting 72.2% from the free throws, plus or minus 5.9, contributing 21 (3rd) to the game, and the Bucks have a record of 51 wins and 31 losses this season, the Third in the East.
Judging from the results, the three teams are not much different. The Nuggets' roster is a bit worse than the Bucks and 76ers, Jokic is a true single-core team, and The team porter and Murray basically didn't play for a season, while the alphabet brothers have Middleton and Holliday, Embiid has Harden, and with similar records, Jokic has received much less help and has to pay a lot more.
In addition, Jokic's statistics are really excellent, his 58.3% shooting rate is much higher than that of Alphabet Brother and Embiid, and the three major statistics are in the top 10 of the league in terms of points, rebounds and assists. One of the most critical data is that his game contribution ranks first in the league, and this data should have played a decisive role.
After getting the MVP, Jokic qualified for the largest contract extension in NBA history this offseason, worth 260 million for five years. He will be the youngest and only second-round show player in history to sign a super-salary cap.
At the same time, this is also the fourth consecutive season for international players to win the regular season MVP, which is two years for Alphabet Goren Zhuang and Jokic for two consecutive years. The last U.S. player to win the regular season MVP dates back to The Rockets Harden in 2017-18.
At the same time, Jokic also became the third international player to be the MVP of Lianzhuang after Nash and Alphabet Brother. He is also the 13th Lianzhuang MVP in history, and the active players are comparable to James, Curry, and Alphabet Brother, and he is also the first center player of lianzhuang MVP after Moses Malone.
As a two-round show, Jokic has created too many legends, but he is only 27 years old, and this fat man is bound to bring us more surprises!