The narrative of Jokic playing on a worse team works both ways, though. Like of course Jokic had better overall numbers…he played on a worse team that needed him to do more.
I agree and disagree. Playing on a bad team can actually hurt one's numbers. If all the attention is on you because you don't have the help you need, it could be harder to produce. Jokic was not only dominant regardless of the lack of talent around him, it still helped contribute to wins instead of just putting up a bunch of "empty stats". On the flip side, it would be easier to put up better numbers if you had other guys to take pressure off you.
To give the MVP to someone because they played on a worse team, isn’t exactly a reason to give out a MVP trophy.
It isn't the
only reason, but it absolutely is something that voters factor in. Doing "more with less" is something that is always talked about when discussing MVP. When you look at a lot of the guys who have won MVP, one of the biggest reasons why is because they had success despite being on a team that lacked great talent. Again, not the only reason, but it can't be denied that it is factored in.
On the flip side, being on a loaded team has hurt a player's chances at winning MVP. It's one of the biggest reasons why Curry didn't 3-peat for MVP... because that third year, he had Kevin Durant (along with Klay and Draymond).
That said, I have no issue with Jokic winning MVP, i just think Embiid was more deserving this season. It’s not like he exactly has a smooth and easy locker room situation, either. Just because maxey came out of nowhere, doesn’t mean it was easy. Hell, maxey coming out of nowhere could be credited to Embiid making it easier for his teammates
Yeah, I wouldn't have been made if Embiid or Giannis won it either. I think all 3 had a strong argument. From my standpoint, when you look at all the factors, Jokic comes out on top for most of the objective data we have. The subjective stuff can be argued to death, but the truth is we'll never know much of an impact certain things had. For example- you reference Embiid not dealing with a "smooth and easy locker room situation." I assume that you are talking about Ben Simmons. I'd argue the opposite. I don't think it impacted the 76ers much at all, and in fact, it probably helped that wasn't part of the team. The blow up started a year ago and sixers pretty much moved past it by the time the season started. Of course, a combination of Maxey, Curry, and Harden replacing Simmons helped fill any hole that was created. But again, that's a matter of opinion.
