Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas voiced his opinion about who deserves to win this year’s MVP award. He agrees with the popular view that Nikola Jokic is the frontrunner.
“Right now I still have Joker [as my MVP],” Arenas said on SiriusXM Radio. “Only because of him being a big man doing something that has never been done for a big man and that’s average a triple-double while being number one. It’s just a very, very difficult thing to do as an individual, as a basketball player. But to be a big man that has a passing ability that he has while still scoring and rebounding.”
The other two players in Arena’s top three for the MVP award are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid with the former taking a higher place.
“Second close would be Greek the Freak. What he has done over the last three years keeping that team number one, number two every year. Plays his heart out, plays his soul out for that franchise and that city.
“Embiid is third. I don’t see the quantum leap from Embiid. He averaged 31 [points per game] last year, he’s averaging 33 this year, he had more rebounds last year, he has less rebounds this year. Takes a lot of possessions off, usually dies out in the fourth quarter when he gets tired. But Embiid’s been doing what Embiid does. There’s nothing that stands out for me to put him as a frontrunner in the MVP.”
