Nikola Jokic is in the midst of an incredible season. He is averaging 26.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.4 assists and his Denver Nuggets are 45-24 – good for fourth in the Western Conference.
By any objective measure, Jokic is the undeniable MVP of the league.
Unfortunately, referees are refusing to treat him as such.
No player in the league has suffered as many bad calls against him as Jokic has.
As noted by NBA analyst Owen Williams, “Jokic has been on the wrong end of a bad call a league-leading 14 times this season. Twice as many as the second-most player.”
It gets worse.
“Remember, these numbers come from the NBA’s Last Two Minute Reports, which are only published for games where the score is within three points in the final two minutes. Refs aren’t perfect and incorrect calls are bound to be made so any player who has the ball in their hands at the end of close games will likely be the recipient of the occasional bad call.”
If Jokic is getting screwed over to such an extreme degree at the end of games, it stands to reason that it is probably happening earlier in them a well. Unfortunately, those don’t get tracked.
Bad calls notwithstanding, Jokic has been a beast this year. Fans probably should’ve known it was coming when he showed up to the new season looking extra skinny.
That’s one way to do it. https://t.co/FPdnapbQPX
— Game 7 (@game7__) May 10, 2021
It appears all of Dwight Howard’s unnecessary taunting really motivated Jokic to get his act together and come back even stronger in 2021.
Although legends like Magic Johnson are finally starting to give Jokic his due, officials still aren’t.
Will that change when he officially gets his MVP this year? Hopefully.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
