“Can he make a left-handed layup?” Tim Bontemps picks Nikola Jokic as league MVP over Embiid and Giannis
Follow Us
Tim Bontemps and Nikola Jokic
This season has been a shapeshifter especially because of the unexpected nature that it brought to the table. To highlight a few instances, the MVP ranking did not have any of the three players they have at the moment in the top spots. Injuries have been a major factor in setbacks of the initial leaders of the league which paved way for a new set of talents to take the stage.
The regular season has officially come to an end and the results of that period’s awards are underway. The final list of winners is set to be announced during the following weeks ahead mostly likely during the playoffs as it was last year. The most anticipated award of this year has been the league’s Most Valuable Player award and the top contenders have kept the score to a tight gap.
Nikola Jokic puts on monstrous performances as leader of the MVP race
Nikola Jokic transcended into a player the Denver Nuggets desperately needed after losing Michael Porter Jr. to an injury this season. Jokic managed to lead the Nuggets into the playoffs without MPJ or his trustee teammate Jamal Murray who tore his ACL last April. The Nuggets concluded their season sixth in the Western Conference rankings with a record of 48 wins and 34 losses.
Nikola “The Joker” Jokic currently leads the MVP rankings with the odds of -380. He averaged 27.1 points on 58.3% shooting from the field this season ranking second in the league for rebounds with 13.8 per game and 7.9 assists as a big man. Not far behind is Joel Embiid with +265 odds and the Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo with +800 making a late push to the top three on the list.
Tim Bontemps chooses Nikola Jokic as his MVP because of his left-hand finishing capabilities
Joined by reporter Brian Windhorst and insider Tim MacMohan, Tim Bontemps explained why he chose Nikola Jokic as his MVP over Embiid and Giannis. After Windhorst had given his ranking for the award, challenged Bontemps to reason out why the Sixers’ center does not deserve to win. He replied saying, “Can he make a left-handed layup?”
“To me, the only statistical case that Embiid had over Jokic was points per game. And every single metric went to Jokic. The difference in wins was not significant. I can make layups with both hands, I can make free throws with both hands,” said Bontemps. Jokic has shot 58.3% per the field, 33.7% from three, and 81% from the line which has a minute edge over Embiid’s 49.9% shooting. The statistics are almost similar with Jokic topping his competitors enough to be considered as the deserving MVP, not to mention his effort to bring his team into the post-season.
Stay Updated!
Rakibul John Rodgers
(1258 Articles Published)