Gentry: It’s ‘hard to believe’ Jokic won’t be MVP again originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Denver Nuggets’ star Nikola Jokic was the 2020-21 NBA MVP, but is certainly making his case for the award again this season.
The Joker is averaging 25.9, 13.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game, and has led the Nuggets to win 10 of their last 11 games.
The Kings battled hard against the reigning MVP and the Nuggets on Wednesday, but their efforts fell short in a 106-100 loss at Golden 1 Center.
And despite a great effort from Sacramento, Jokic was unstoppable. He finished with a game-high 38 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists.
Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry gave his reasoning on why he believes Jokic deserves back-to-back MVP accolades.
“Obviously, Jokic just controls the whole game,” Gentry told reporters after the game on Wednesday. “He’s a point guard, he’s a forward, he’s a center, he’s whatever he needs to be at that particular time.
“That guy is just a different beast. He doesn’t get shaken, he doesn’t get anything. He just does what they need to do to win the game. He’s just playing at such a high level. He’s just a different guy. Watching him play, it’s hard to believe that he won’t be the MVP again. He just plays at such a high level and does so many things on the court. He’s one of those guys you can take him and put him on any team and that team is going to be pretty doggone successful.”
The Nuggets’ big man is no doubt playing his best basketball on both ends of the floor.
Just a few days ago, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr presented a similar case for this year’s MVP after the Nuggets’ 131-124 win over Golden State on Monday.
“We played against the reigning MVP, who probably should win it again,” Kerr told reporters after the game. “I don’t have a vote, but Jokic is just an unbelievable player and was spectacular tonight. He makes all of his teammates better. He makes defense so difficult because no matter what you do, he’s got a counter for it. He’s playing the game at such an easy pace and things look so smooth for him out there. With our defense already coming into this game struggling, he’s a tough guy to face when you’re not well-connected at that end of the floor.”
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Of course, you have to consider the season Philadelphia’s Joel Embid is having, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant and DeMar DeRozan. But there’s no doubt that the 6-foot-11 Serbian beast is definitely turning some heads.