By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Jokic didn’t win his third MVP in a row, which would put him neck-to-neck with NBA legends Larry Bird, Bill Russell, and Wilt Chamberlain, but Portland Trail Blazers star, Damian Lillard, believes he is possibly the best player in the League.
Joel Embiid won the MVP award in front of the Denver Nuggets center, which Lillard thinks it’s deserved, but Jokic proved his worth by leading the Colorado team to the NBA finals.
“Joker might be the best player in the League. The best don’t always win MVP. I thought Embiid should’ve won MVP this year, but that boy Joker might be the best player in the League,” Lillard said on Instagram Live.
Serbian player had 24,5 points, 11,8 rebounds, and 9,8 assists in the 69 regular season games, leading Denver to 1st seed in the West, but then improved in the postseason averaging a triple-double with 29,9 points, 13,3 rebounds, and 10,3 assists and became the first player with eight triple-doubles in a playoff run.
“He’s one of them players that get an organic triple-double. Joker plays the game the same way every game. He’ll score 45 and get 25 rebounds; sometimes he’ll have 18 assists, then he might do all of it in the same game: 45, 22, and 14… And he doesn’t miss shots. Watching him play and playing against him, he doesn’t miss no shots,” Damian Lillard added.
The Portland Trail Blazers guard and seven-time NBA All-Star is in awe of how Jokic plays.
“Smart as hell, he can shoot, pass, play team ball, and cares about winning. He’s humble, staying true. I like how Joker does his thing,” Lillard concluded.