As we pass the halfway point of the NBA season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is currently the favorite to win the 2024-2025 NBA Most Valuable Player award, according to the Kia MVP Ladder. This season, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 2.0 steals for the Thunder, who remain in first place in the Western Conference standings. Everything in that last sentence would make perfect sense as to why Gilgeous-Alexander should win the MVP this season… if Nikola Jokic didn’t exist. Nikola Jokic has already built a Hall of Fame resume at just 29 years old. Jokic is a three-time MVP, one-time Finals MVP, and a soon-to-be seven-time All-Star.
He currently sits second behind Gilgeous-Alexander in the MVP race. This season, Jokic is averaging 30.2 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 10.1 assists for the Nuggets, who have climbed to fourth place in the Western Conference standings. According to Basketball Reference, Jokic leads Gilgeous-Alexander in Player Efficiency Rating, Win Shares, Field Goal Percentage, and Three-Point Field Goal Percentage. This suggests that voters may be valuing team success more than usual, as Oklahoma City sits at 36-8 while Denver is 28-16. But this raises questions about
consistency in MVP voting. For example, in the 2016-2017 season, Russell Westbrook won MVP over James Harden despite the Thunder finishing sixth in the Western Conference while the Rockets finished third. Westbrook did have a historic season, averaging a 30-point triple-double, but Harden finished with 29.1 points, 11.2 assists (league-leading), and 8.1 rebounds on better efficiency than Westbrook. The NBA’s MVP voting has long been inconsistent, and what we are witnessing now is another case of voter fatigue. This term refers to voters growing tired of repeatedly acknowledging the same player, even if that player continues to perform at an elite level. Michael Jordan experienced this during his career. In the 1992-1993 season, Jordan led the league in scoring (32.6 PPG), steals (2.8 SPG), and Win Shares, guiding the Bulls to 57 wins and the second seed in the East. However, since Jordan had won back-to-back MVPs, voters opted to award Charles Barkley instead. Barkley had just joined the Suns, who captured the league’s best record with 62 wins, while Barkley averaged 25.6 points and 12.2 rebounds—despite not leading the league in any major categories.
Barkley’s narrative was more compelling to voters, but Jordan got the last laugh, defeating Barkley and the
Suns in the Finals. LeBron James is another great who suffered from voter fatigue. After winning back-to-back MVPs, James joined the Miami Heat for the 2010-2011 season and was cast as the league’s villain. That year, Derrick Rose edged James for MVP as the Bulls finished with 62 wins. Rose averaged 25.0 points and 7.7 assists. Meanwhile, James averaged 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists, led the league in Win Shares, and was top-10 in Defensive Player of the Year voting. The Heat finished with 58 wins, just four fewer than Chicago. Nikola Jokic is already a three-time MVP, and many argue he should have won a fourth over Joel Embiid in 2023. If Jokic doesn’t win MVP this season, it would be the biggest case of voter fatigue in NBA history. Jokic is currently averaging a 30-point triple-double while leading the league in Win Shares, Win Shares per 48 Minutes, Offensive Box Plus/Minus, Defensive Box Plus/Minus, Box Plus/Minus, and Value Over Replacement Player. Remarkably, this would also mark his fourth consecutive season leading the NBA in these categories. The voters seem to be searching for any excuse not to give Jokic the award. The MVP of the 2024-2025 season is obvious, and it’s time to sit back and appreciate Nikola Jokic’s greatness.
