Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic finished in second place for MVP, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder coming in first.
The NBA officially announced on Sunday night that SGA won the MVP award for the second straight year. That was not a surprise, as he led the Thunder to the best record in the NBA and finished in second place in scoring. He is a very deserving winner, and you can’t take anything away from him.
But many felt that the Nuggets superstar Jokic deserved to win it. Ultimately, he came in second place, continuing his streak of coming in first or second place for MVP for the past six seasons. Jokic has won three NBA MVP awards during that time.
Nikola Jokic Finishes 2nd for MVP
Along with revealing that SGA won the award, the NBA showed the rest of the MVP votes. While SGA finished first with 939 total points for MVP, Jokic finished second with 634 votes. He received 10 first-place votes, 48 second-place votes, 37 third-place votes, four fourth-place votes, and one fifth-place vote for the honor.
Check out the full voting totals below.
Jokic had an amazing season for the Nuggets, as he averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists for his second straight season of averaging a triple-double. While that is an incredible achievement for Jokic, he was shut out of the MVP award both times by SGA.
Changes Coming to Denver
After getting knocked out in the first round this season by the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games, the Nuggets are poised to make some serious changes this offseason. To that end, ownership said that Jokic is the only untouchable player on the roster, as everyone else could potentially be had in a trade.
That means the Nuggets’ roster might look very different next season. It would not be surprising at all if the team shopped All-Star shooting guard Jamal Murray or power forward Aaron Gordon. While they are both quality players, the Nuggets clearly need to shake things up if they want to make a run for the NBA Championship again next year. Because, based on how they performed this season, the Nuggets just don’t look like a title contender when you compare them to teams like the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder.
The good news for the Nuggets is that they have Jokic leading the way. He is the best big man in the league and one of the most skilled and dominant big men in NBA history. He is hungry to win a second NBA title, and he will be hungry to win another MVP award next year, too. So while the Nuggets may have been a major disappointment this year, do not count them out going forward. Anytime you have Jokic on your team, you have a chance to win, so if the Nuggets can put some better pieces around him next year, they will have the opportunity to make another deep postseason run. As good as he is, Jokic can’t do everything alone, and the Nuggets will make the necessary changes to help him win again.
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