Nikola Jokic was the clear winner in a separate poll asking media members, current and former team executives and scouts to vote on the league's best current player, even as he is expected to finish a distant third in MVP voting. After 53 votes were tallied, Jokic had two-thirds of them.
The poll was not the same as Tim Bontemps' MVP straw poll, which asks 100 media members who should win the award. This one asked a different question entirely: who is the best player right now, regardless of team success or games played. Voters were free to write in any name they chose, and only three players received votes.
For Jokic, the support came with a familiar split between regular-season value and playoff trust. Several voters said they would not pick him for MVP this season, but they would still want him in a playoff series, and one said he was the player they would most want in Game 7 of the Finals. Another voter called him arguably the greatest, most well-rounded offensive player in history, saying his strengths would shine even brighter on a contender built around him.
That same voter also said Jokic had coasted on defense and been too temper-tantrumy for my liking, while another said his health had limited his impact for parts of the season. One voter said he had not been playing to his usual standards after returning from injury. Jokic was described as averaging 28 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists per game, production that helps explain why he still drew support even from people who did not view him as the MVP favorite.
The contrast points straight at the race in front of him. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is likely to be the MVP winner based on the straw poll and betting odds, while Jokic's case remains anchored in a different argument: not who had the better season, but who a team would want when everything is on the line. One voter summed that up bluntly, saying the Thunder win playoff series with their defense and Denver wins playoff series with Jokic.
