Nikola Jokic won his third MVP award this season and is undoubtedly one of the greatest big men in NBA history. On the latest episode of the Ticket and The Truth podcast, Paul Pierce was asked where he would rank Jokic among the greatest centers the league has seen.
“Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), (Shaquille O’Neal), (Hakeem Olajuwon), David Robinson,” Pierce said. “… I think he’s ahead of (Patrick) Ewing. I mean he got three MVPs and then a chip. So he’s in elite company, Wilt (Chamberlain). I don’t got him in the top five yet cuz I just named Wilt, Kareem, Shaq, David Robinson, (Bill) Russell, that’s six. And then I’m sure there’s some other ones out there that I’m missing.”
“But he’s in elite company when we talk about one of the greats,” Pierce continued. “Right now, if he retired today, he’ll be (a) top 50 player… I mean, he could be one of the top 25, I don’t know yet.”
(starts at 14:44 mark):
Pierce has dished out some bizarre takes over the years, but this was one of the more sensible ones. I agree that Jokic isn’t a top-five center as of now. The 29-year-old’s resume is quite impressive, with a title, a Finals MVP, and three MVPs, but there are a handful of big men who have achieved more than he has
I would put Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six titles, two Finals MVPs, six MVPs), Bill Russell (11 titles, five MVPs), Wilt Chamberlain (two titles, one Finals MVP, four MVPs), Shaquille O’Neal (four titles, three Finals MVPs, one MVP), and Hakeem Olajuwon (two titles, two Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two DPOYs) ahead of the Denver Nuggets superstar.
Unlike Pierce, I believe Jokic has surpassed David Robinson and if he wins another championship, I think he would have a case to be ahead of Olajuwon. It seems a bit unlikely that the six-time All-Star will win his second championship this season, though, as the Nuggets are down 2-1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs.
Kevin Garnett Thought Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Should Have Won MVP Over Jokic
While Jokic won his third MVP by a landslide, there were a fair few who didn’t believe he deserved to win the award. Pierce’s co-host Kevin Garnett explained why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should have won MVP over Jokic.
“It’s a regular season award, and usually the best player on your team usually represents the best team. So I thought Shai should have had [the MVP]. He’s on the best team in the league… it’s a regular-season award.”
There are a couple of issues I have with Garnett’s reasoning here. For starters, Shai’s Oklahoma City Thunder and Jokic’s Nuggets both finished with an identical 57-25 record. The Thunder only finished ahead on a tie-breaker and I don’t think that should greatly swing things in Gilgeous-Alexander’s favor.
Also, if we are just giving it to the best player on the best team in the regular season, then Jayson Tatum should have won it. The Celtics went 64-18 to finish with the best record in the NBA and Tatum was their best player. I think, at the end of the day, Jokic deserved to win the award and Gilgeous-Alexander finishing second was about right as well.
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