Kevin C. Cox/Associated Press
The NBA hasn’t seen a player collect three straight MVPs since Larry Bird in 1986. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo might be an underdog in the MVP race despite lifting the trophy in 2019 and 2020.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps canvassed a group of eight NBA scouts and executives. Four selected Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic to win MVP, while Antetokounmpo only garnered a solitary vote. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic got two votes, and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard rounded out the field with one vote.
Voter fatigue is a real thing; otherwise, LeBron James and Michael Jordan would probably have more than nine MVPs before them.
Antetokounmpo fading from the MVP conversation a bit may not be a bad thing for the Bucks, either, because it could signal he’s getting more support from Khris Middleton and the recently arrived Jrue Holiday.
Calling the Mavericks a one-man show wouldn’t accurately reflect on the situation in Dallas, but the team figures to be centered around Doncic more than how Milwaukee will be handling Giannis.
“It’s hard to see Giannis winning three in a row,” one scout from the Western Conference said to Bontemps. “And I think there’s more of an opportunity for Luka to kind of put on an MVP show and do more on an individual basis.”
Doncic had the numbers to be MVP in 2020, averaging 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists while shooting 46.3 percent from the field. The Mavericks’ record prior to the NBA restart (40-27) made it tough for him to break through, though.
Should Dallas improve, Doncic will vault to the top of the field.
Jokic finished ninth in the voting, so he’d need to outshine quite a few players to be recognized. The 25-year-old will also need to buck recent history.
Centers once dominated the league, something reflected in the MVP winners. Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone wound up on top 18 combined times from 1956-83. Dave Cowens, Bill Walton and Willis Reed were among the other big men to be honored.
Then NBA strategy shifted with the success of Bird, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson and the implementation of the three-pointer. Shaquille O’Neal is the last center to win MVP, and that was all the way back in 2000.
Sooner or later, the position will be represented on the MVP podium as centers adjust to the current trends. Jokic makes more sense than any other active player to end that 20-year drought.
