DENVER — For the past several years, ESPN has published a “straw poll” of NBA media members and their votes for league MVP, and for the second consecutive time this season, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is atop the results.
In a Thursday edition of Locked On Nuggets, hosts Matt Moore and Adam Mares discussed Jokic’s lead in the race and why it puts Jokic in a great position to win his third straight MVP award.
“The vote, since it switched to a media vote in ‘82, tends to coalesce around one guy,” Moore said on the podcast. “Nikola has the statistical case based on his efficiency and overall contributions, he has the winning arguments with how (good) the Nuggets are, that’s what was missing the last two seasons, and it’s going to make people mad … but these straw pools are indicative.”
While Moore believed the race was all but decided, Mares was more open to a change in the tenor of the narrative around the award.
“I’m less convinced that it’s over, though,” Mares said. “I actually think there is groupthink, and I think the straw poll is part of the groupthink. … There are going to be some of these marquee, nationally televised games that will have a little bit of MVP significance. And we’ll see how Jokic approaches those games and how he plays.”
The hosts discussed how the Nuggets’ defense falling off or Jokic being outplayed by other MVP candidates in Philadelphia or Boston could cause him to lose support for MVP. With fewer than 30 games left in the season, it’s clear Jokic has a great chance to achieve the incredible historical feat of winning threat straight NBA MVPs.