The NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award has often been a subject of controversy. Some believe if they were to reward the best player, then Michael Jordan or LeBron James should’ve won at least ten each, and it would be hard to agree with that.
There’s no consensus about what being the MVP truly means. And media voters are often narrative-based, which leads them to make emotional decisions rather than taking a look at the whole picture.
This year’s winner was Joel Embiid, and rightfully so. Nonetheless, as much as he deserved it, fans can’t help but feel like some other stars were snubbed this time. Here, we’ll let you know about them.
NBA: The Biggest MVP Snubs This Season
3. Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum — Getty Images
The Boston Celtics were the most consistent team in the NBA the whole season. They slipped at one point and failed to catch up with the Milwaukee Bucks, but they were still the oddsmakers’ favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference.
Unsurprisingly, a lot of that had to do with Jayson Tatum and his incredible play. The young forward averaged a career-high 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 3.2 three-pointers on 46.6% from the floor.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo — Getty Images
The Milwaukee Bucks finished the season with the best record in the league. So, if we were to follow the logic of the MVP being the best player on the best team, then Giannis Antetokounmpo would be the obvious choice.
Once again, the Greek Freak led his team in most major stats, all while being among the league’s leaders on both offense and defense. This time, he averaged 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists on a whopping 55.5% shooting.
1. Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic— Getty Images
Nikola Jokic led the MVP race for most of the season. However, it seems like people refused to give him three consecutive awards, even though what he did in the prior years shouldn’t count for this season.
The Denver Nuggets ran away with the best record in the Western Conference, and Jokic led the league in most advanced metrics. He averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 63.2% from the floor, which is absurd even by his standards.
