The MVP race is heating up as the NBA season nears its midway point. However, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić finds himself out of the running this year due to a calf strain that’s kept him sidelined since Christmas. Once he misses one more game, Dončić will be ineligible for postseason awards.
Coming into the season, Dončić was a favorite for the MVP title after his stellar 2023-24 performance, where he averaged close to a 34-point triple-double. Despite his remarkable showing, he missed out on his first MVP award, as Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić claimed his third title. This led to criticism of the MVP voting process, including from Dončić’s former teammate and current New York Knicks star, Jalen Brunson.
On his podcast, The Roommates Show, Brunson addressed the inconsistencies in the voting criteria:
“Jokić is playing absolutely absurd, his numbers are crazy,” Brunson said. “[Denver is] not seeded where they were last year, right? And people are still talking about him being MVP. Individually, he deserves it, but when Luka was averaging damn near a triple-double [last season], but their seed wasn’t where people wanted it to be, they were like, ‘Oh, he shouldn’t get MVP because of his seeding.’ Obviously, Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] is getting up there, closing in as the number one guy right now, I’m just like, ‘Why do certain narratives work for some people?'”
Brunson himself was part of the MVP conversation last year, leading the Knicks to the second seed in the Eastern Conference while averaging 28.7 points per game. However, his odds have slipped this year despite the Knicks’ improvement as a team.
The MVP award has faced mounting criticism over the years due to its lack of clear voting criteria. While Jokić won in 2022 despite the Nuggets being a sixth seed, Dončić’s campaign last year with 50 wins and a fifth seed was largely dismissed. This inconsistency continues to spark debate among fans and players alike.
Though Dončić may have to wait another year for his MVP shot, his remarkable 2023-24 season remains a strong argument for reevaluating the MVP criteria.
What are your thoughts on Brunson’s take? Are MVP voting standards unfair, or does the narrative vary based on circumstances?
