Nuggets facility Nikola Jokic wins famous MVP honor, league source mentions

Interesting article by Mike Singer from The Denver Post discussing some important events for the week. Mike Singer recently posted this and I thought it was a great post for syndicating here.

PHOENIX — As the regular season wound down, Nikola Jokic didn’t know what to do.

With homecourt advantage secured for the first round, the Nuggets center waffled between preserving his energy for the postseason or playing in every game, if for no other reason than he was healthy. Jokic chose the latter, securing a perfect 72-game attendance record and putting a bow on a historic regular season.

On Tuesday, Jokic made more NBA history.

The unorthodox superstar was named league MVP, a league source confirmed to The Denver Post, becoming the lowest draft pick to ever win the award and the first Nuggets player ever to do so. The former record-holders were Giannis Antetokounmpo and Steve Nash, both chosen No. 15 overall. The Nuggets selected Jokic with the No. 41 pick of the 2014 draft.

It’s not a stretch to call him the most improbable MVP in league history. Six seasons ago, the Sombor, Serbia native was a lightly regarded prospect. Now he’s forever engraved alongside the best players in the game’s history.

RELATED: How Nikola Jokic became the NBA’s most improbable MVP

With vision like Magic Johnson, offensive tricks like Larry Bird and a humble confidence like Tim Duncan, Jokic’s game morphed into a quilt of his predecessors.

Amid arguably the most taxing season in NBA history, Jokic reached new levels of dominance. His scoring took a massive leap, jumping from 19.9 points per game last season to 26.4 this one. At 8.3 assists per game, Jokic finished just shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time season average (8.6) for dimes from a center. His 10.8 rebounds per game tied his career-high. In addition to career-highs in points and assists, Jokic’s efficiency (56% from the field; 38.8% from 3) was astounding.

Jokic led the NBA in double-doubles (60), was second in triple-doubles (16), and finished the regular season third in total minutes (2,488). Philadelphia center Joel Embiid, a fellow MVP finalist, played just 1,585 during an injury-riddled season.

As the MVP race came into focus late in the season, Jokic navigated the inquiries with aplomb. Not once did he suggest he deserved the award, even though by virtue of his play and the Nuggets’ team success, he was the leading candidate for months. He turned down numerous interview requests, rejected national podcast appearances and, more generally, let his play speak for itself, even as other candidates waged campaigns in the media to get votes.

Among all the things Jokic excelled at this season, celebrating himself wasn’t one of them.

When guard Jamal Murray tore his ACL on April 12, many on the outside believed the Nuggets would collapse. Instead, they closed the season 13-5 behind Jokic’s production and rose in the standings. Over the final month of the season, as defenses schemed to minimize Jokic’s impact even further, he averaged 26.9 points on nearly 57% shooting, 10.6 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game.

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It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Jokic kept his team afloat. Thanks to Jokic’s availability, the Nuggets survived Michael Porter Jr.’s absence in January (missed 11 games) and extended injuries to guards Monte Morris (25), Will Barton (16) and Gary Harris before he was traded. Paul Millsap, JaMychal Green and P.J. Dozier all missed significant time as well, limiting Denver’s frontcourt depth. But each night Jokic suited up, the Nuggets had a chance to win regardless of who surrounded him.

Of the four conference finalists left standing in the “Bubble” last season, it should be noted that the Nuggets, at 47-25, had the best season by far. And even though MVP ballots were due the day after the regular season ended, among the Lakers, Celtics and Heat, only the Nuggets advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

Ever since the regular season ended, staffers within the Nuggets’ organization have peppered the team’s PR staff about when the MVP announcement might be coming. There was more excitement from coaches and players, according to one team spokesman, than there was from Jokic himself.

But now that it’s official, Jokic doesn’t need to evade the questions any longer. He’s the MVP of the NBA. And no one can ever take it away from him.

Historic award

Selected 41st overall in the 2014 NBA draft, Nikola Jokic is now the lowest selected player to be named MVP. Here’s a look at where each of the past NBA MVPs were chosen.

Pick MVPs Players117LeBron James (4), Magic Johnson (3), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2), Tim Duncan (2), Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson, Bill Walton, Allen Iverson, Derrick Rose2-510Michael Jordan (5), Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden6-106Larry Bird (3), Stephen Curry (2), Dirk Nowitzki10-144Karl Malone (2), Kobe Bryant, Julius Erving154Steve Nash (2), Giannis Antetokounmpo (2)ABA3Moses Malone (3)

Source: NBA.com