MVP Nikola Jokic being at brink of joining ‘GOAT’ tier players has teammate in awe

Teammate DeAndre Jordan believes that Nikola Jokic should definitely be in the GOAT conversation if he wins his fourth MVP this year.

MVP Nikola Jokic being at brink of joining ‘GOAT’ tier players has teammate in awe

Serbian sensation and the center of the Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokic, has been in the conversation ever since he stepped on the NBA court. The three-time MVP has already reshaped the league with his unique blend of playmaking, scoring, and basketball IQ, leading many to wonder if he could soon join the “GOAT” (Greatest of All Time) conversation.

With an NBA championship and three MVPs under his belt, Joker is on the cusp of cementing his place among the best of the best with his fourth one. He is already leading the race. And when his teammate, DeAndre Jordan, was made aware of this, he was in awe of his teammate’s accomplishments.

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During DeAndre Jordan‘s appearance on “Run It Back”, the host, Lou Williams, a former player and a 3-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year, posed a thought-provoking question. Mentioning that only the legends like Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlin has won 4 MVPs, he asked DJ that if Jokic wins his fourth MVP, whether he makes his top 5 best player to ever do it.

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I gotta say yeah cause he’s my teammate, right? Four MVPs? You gotta. It has to be a conversation. It has to be a conversation.

DeAndre Jordan said

Nikola Jokic is dropping mind-blowing numbers day in and day out this season. His MVP performances, however, aren’t helping the Nuggets secure easy victories, owing to underwhelming contributions from the rest of the squad.

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Gilbert Arenas challenges Jokic’s MVP credentials

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas sparked another debate by questioning Nikola Jokic’s MVP credentials, labeling his historic performances as “empty stats” during a recent episode of his podcast. Arenas implied that Jokic’s dominance on the court doesn’t necessarily translate to meaningful results.

When Jordan had a historic year when he had 37 points a game, you’re not close to winning the MVP, same thing when Kobe came back and did it. Everyone on a bad team can put up real good numbers. That’s putting up what’s it called, empty stats? They don’t want to call it empty stats when they’re losing? It just makes no sense.

Gilbert Arenas remarked

However, Lou Williams, host of the Run It Back podcast, came to Jokic’s defense, dismissing Arenas’ take completely. He went on to call Arenas’ comments ‘provocative’.

Gil is a Genius. He has found a way to get the people going. It’s provocative. He knows better than this, he knows this is not real, this is bullshit, Gil.

Lou Williams on Gilbert Arenas’ comments

This isn’t the first time that Gilbert Arenas has criticized the Serbian big man. He once opined that Nikola Jokic isn’t a generational talent like LeBron James and is “the worst MVP winner in the last 40 years”.

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Although harsh, the former Wizards star’s assessment does hold some weight. Team would rather stack wins over individual stat-padding, but to say that his efforts don’t translate to into victories is a bit crude, especially when one considers the fact that Jokic won an NBA championship title in 2023.