By Adam Kerr
NBA MVP Finalists
It seems like it has been this way for a few years now, but the NBA MVP race is as wide open as ever, even after the season has ended. The last couple of seasons it has been Nikola Jokic vs. Joel Embiid, with others like Steph and Giannis filtered in. This year is no different (minus Joel Embiid).
The MVP finalists for the 2024 NBA season are Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the OKC Thunder, and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks. Jokic is fighting to get his third honor, while Shai and Luka hope to win it for the first time. Since this year’s MVP is anyone’s award, here is each finalist’s case to win the Michael Jordan trophy.
Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic has a very clear case for the MVP. The reigning finals MVP is undeniably the best basketball player in the world, and he led his Denver Nuggets to the second seed in the West. On top of this, he averaged a near-26-point triple-double. He hasn’t skipped one beat since last year and is looking for his third league MVP to solidify him amongst the greats. He is currently the Vegas favorite, which is why it is hard to explain his case. He is simply unstoppable, and the impact he makes on the court is unmatched.
He led the league in plus/minus this season at +866. Jokic also was third in assists per game, an insane stat for a center who also finished fourth in rebounds. The easiest way to show how great he has been this season is to compare his numbers this year to his two MVP seasons. Overall, his stats are just as good if not better than the other times he has received the league’s highest honor.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The NBA world has been waiting for Shai to be in MVP conversations for the last couple of years at this point. He’s finally done it, and it took him to take the second-youngest team in basketball to the top seed in the West. With a great supporting cast around Shai, he has propelled himself to yet another level and will have a great chance to take home this year’s MVP. Averaging 30 points and the league’s third-best plus/minus (+794), it’s no secret how mind-blowing Shai has been this season.
This Thunder team is filled with young talent, and there isn’t any veteran leadership to take control when they face adversity. Shai has taken that role, one that some of the league’s other stars still cannot do in their later years. When it comes to pure value, all of these things that Shai brings to Oklahoma City’s ball club are hard to rival.
Luka Doncic
If Luka is going to have a shot at an MVP award at some point in his career, this is probably the year. He’s put up great numbers his entire career, but they’ve been mostly dismissed. Many attribute this to his team never being high enough in the standings. However, he has the Dallas Mavericks at the five-seed in this year’s playoffs. Yes, that is thanks to Kyrie Irving’s heroics all season, but it is impossible to have great team success with one star and ten other role players (even if Luka is one of the only players who could still have a good record with that being the case).
The fact that Luka can coexist with such an elite scorer like Kyrie while being able to maximize both of their times on the court further proves how elite he is at the game of basketball. When it comes to numbers, Luka isn’t lacking in that department by any means. Doncic took home this year’s scoring title (33.9 ppg) while also finishing second in assists (9.8). Put together all of these factors and Luka Doncic has his strongest case yet at the league MVP.
