The race for the NBA’s MVP award is heating up and the main candidates are not letting up: the level of the players competing for the award remains at a very high level and, in fact, there have been changes in the ranking for the award that has generated many surprises, both for better and for worse, among fans of the league
From second to fourth place for MVP
One of these moves has been Luka Doncic’s drop, who had been named the best player of the week, again, in the West, from second to fourth place. The Slovenian, who has already spoken out about it, is in the spotlight for his perceived lack of defense.
A few days ago it was Michael Wilbon,journalist and presenter of ESPN, who ranted about the defense of the Slovenian, yesterday it was the turn of Chris Mannix, journalist of Sport Ilustrated, who did not hesitate to hit Doncic.
Criticism persists despite his level
“His defensive stats have been abysmal. For example, Luka has a defensive rating of 115.6 this year. That would rank him 119th among the 180 players with more than 25 starts this season. Therefore, in any measurable statistic, he has been one of the worst defensive players in the league,” he said on the show
I have Luka Doncic on the second level, he is the best offensive player in the entire league, but I can’t ignore his defensive statistics when the competition is so close
Mannix, in any case, recognizes his great level in attack, but, according to him, he cannot ignore the defensive aspect, which makes him drop to the second tier: “I have Luka Doncic in my second tier. Now, I know there will be some criticism about Luka being in the second tier (he’s been exceptional offensively), but while he’s the best offensive player in the entire league, I can’t ignore his defensive stats, and when the competition is so fierce, I have to take that into account.”
Finally, the American journalist points out that he already has a group of players he is considering voting for: “My first group of players is as follows: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic and Jaylen Brown. Those four players are in my first group and are the four I’m considering voting for MVP,” he said emphatically
More than 100 recoveries in a year and two months in LA
He’s not a defensive specialist, but the former Real Madrid player has become the second after Kobe Bryant in 2013 to average 30 points per game and reach 100 steals in a season, something that, let’s say, could not be done by a player whose defense is conspicuous by its absence. The Ljubjana native is averaging 1.6 steals this season and is in the top 10 in steals
Another fact to take into account is the proportion of games won and lost when the Lakers do not have their star (50%): so far, six wins and six losses, which denotes the dependence that the Californians have on the point guard. Others such as Shai or Jokic have a higher percentage because their team can also win without their presence
Doncic is the league’s leading scorer and has been putting in impressive performances on a regular basis, but for some, it seems that this will not be the year he wins the award for the best player of the season
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