ESPN's NBA Survey Shows Lack of Respect for this MVP, NBA Champion

Tim Bontemps just released his NBA offseason survey, and the results are as interesting as ever. Every year, Bontemps polls a group of coaches, scouts, and executives to ask them their opinions and predictions for the upcoming NBA season. 

The answers are usually a pretty good showing of what people in the league actually think, rather than the media or fans. As always, you have to ask, “Who is the best player right now?”. Although Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the most recent MVP and Finals MVP, his name didn’t appear in the voting. Here’s how it broke down:

“Nikola Jokić: 19

Luka Dončić: 1

While there has been a nip-and-tuck battle for MVP between Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander over the past few seasons — and our survey projects another — there was little debate about who the single best NBA player is at the moment. That would be Jokić, as the Thunder star and reigning MVP didn't receive any votes, and only a stray one for Dončić separated Jokić from becoming the first unanimous selection for this honor across the seven years the survey has been conducted.

For just about every voter, there was very little hesitation in picking Jokić before moving on to the next question — a nod more to his remarkable run than a slight at Gilgeous-Alexander or anyone else.

"As long as he's walking and breathing," One East executive said of the Serbian superstar, "it should be him."

While Jokić wasn't a unanimous choice, he is the first player to be selected for a third time, edging Antetokounmpo’s top finishes in 2021 and 2022.”

Looks like winning the MVP and Finals MVP still doesn’t get SGA into the conversation with Jokić. Jokić has just been too good for too long. He probably should have won the MVP last year if the award truly was about who was the “most valuable” to their team.

So, although these votes may seem disrespectful to SGA, they probably represent the truth.