Jokic Snubbed? Shai’s MVP Undeserved? Breaking Down the Debate

Joel Piton
May 23
6 min read

On Wednesday night, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was officially crowned the NBA’s 2024–25 Most Valuable Player, edging out Nikola Jokic in what many believe was one of the closest races in recent memory. But unlike the widespread praise that followed Jokic’s previous MVP wins, Shai’s moment in the spotlight has been met with unexpected backlash. From being labeled a “free throw merchant” to accusations of foul baiting, the discourse around his win has been surprisingly divisive. So—does the criticism hold any weight? Let’s take a closer look at Gilgeous-Alexander’s statistically historic season and compare it to MVP campaigns from years past.

When it came down to the wire, the MVP race was clearly between two heavyweights: Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Oklahoma City’s Shai. Both had compelling cases. Gilgeous-Alexander was the league’s leading scorer and the driving force behind the NBA’s best team, while Jokic became just the third player in league history to average a triple-double across a season, finishing top three in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. However, what Shai did this season under a microscope is even more remarkable.

In 76 regular-season games, he averaged a league-best 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 51.9% from the field and 37.5% from three on nearly six attempts per game. He also anchored the perimeter for a Thunder defense that led the NBA in defensive rating, contributing 1.7 steals and one block per night. Oklahoma City clinched the West’s No. 1 seed with nearly a month to spare and finished 68–14—16 games ahead of the second-place holders—the Houston Rockets. In the end, Gilgeous-Alexander’s elite impact and his role in a historically dominant season swayed 71 of 100 voters to hand him his first MVP and keep Jokic from earning his fourth. Was it voter fatigue? Or did the numbers speak for themselves?

Historically, the MVP award has often been tied just as much to team success as individual brilliance. In 2020–21, Stephen Curry led the league in scoring with 32 points per game, along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists—but the Warriors failed to make the playoffs after falling short in the play-in tournament. No MVP. Last season, Luka Doncic averaged a near triple-double with 33 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists while leading the Mavericks to the No. 5 seed and all the way to the NBA Finals—yet still finished third in MVP voting, albeit behind Jokic. And back in 2018–19, James Harden posted a staggering 36 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game, improving on his previous MVP season, only to lose to the Durant-led Warriors in the playoffs and finish second. The trend is clear: the MVP doesn’t just go to the most statistically dominant player—it goes to the one who wins. At least, that used to be the case. This season challenges that precedent. So, why the discourse?

It felt like analysts and voters waited to see who would come out of the Thunder-Nuggets series before casting their votes. And once the Oklahoma City Thunder prevailed, the narrative shifted in his favor. In today’s league, the MVP seems to carry more postseason weight than ever before. After all, how “valuable” can a player be if his team doesn’t win? Some are beginning to wonder if votes are being withheld until they see whether the frontrunner can deliver deep into May. Just two years ago, Joel Embiid was awarded MVP and promptly flamed out in the second round with a disappointing playoff performance. The question remains: is the MVP still a regular-season award, or has it quietly evolved into something more?

Nuggets fans have every right to feel frustrated—and honestly, it’s warranted. Nikola Jokic has delivered three MVP-caliber seasons in the last four years. The one season many believe he was snubbed—in 2023, when the award went to Joel Embiid—he responded by leading Denver to its first NBA championship. And now, in what was arguably his best season yet, he doesn’t win? That alone has fueled the conversation: does this speak more to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s greatness, or to the NBA’s reluctance to award Jokić a fourth MVP?

Statistically, Jokic had an all-time season. He set career-highs in points, assists, and steals while shooting 57.6% from the field and 41.7% from three on the second-highest 3-point attempt rate of his career. In 70 games, he averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists, and 1.8 steals—a triple-double for the season, joining only Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook. He also became the only center in NBA history to average a triple-double and the first ever to reach double-digit assists.

In terms of advanced metrics, he was off the charts—posting the fourth-highest PER in league history, the second-best season ever by Box Plus-Minus (behind only his 2022 MVP campaign), and a top-15 all-time Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) season.

Jokic did all of this while leading a Nuggets team—with no other All-Star—to a 50–32 record and a No. 4 seed in a brutal Western Conference. As a matter of fact, Nikola Jokic has never had a single teammate who made an All-Star, All-NBA, or All-Defensive team in the same season throughout his 10-year NBA career. Statistically speaking, Jokic elevated the Nuggets yet again this season with a good team, but without elite company. His only flaw, in the eyes of voters, might’ve been that we’ve come to expect this kind of brilliance from him. Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t an undeserving case. It was rooted in both dominance and efficiency, but clearly one player is extremely more valuable to his team than the other. OKC went 35–2 in games where Shai played less than 34 minutes—a full minute below his average. In contrast, Denver was 22–13 when Jokić played a minute under his norm. The Thunder had margin. The Nuggets had survival mode.

One of the biggest critiques thrown at Gilgeous-Alexander has been the "free throw merchant" narrative—a claim that falls apart under scrutiny. Yes, he led the league in free throws made (7.9 per game at 89.8%), but he only ranked third in attempts behind Giannis and Embiid. Shai gets calls that other players (and even teams) don't, but other players have done this without being accused of inflating his numbers at the line—he was just converting at an absurdly efficient rate. Historically, his free throw attempts per game rank 27th among MVPs, sandwiched between the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. There’s also important context: league-wide, free throw rates were at an all-time low in 2024–25. So yes, Shai got to the line, and often times at unfair and pivotal points in late games—but he's doing it a time where fewer whistles are being blown than ever before. His ability to still average nearly 8 made free throws a night is more a testament to his skill than to any kind of foul-baiting strategy.

All of this circles back to a bigger question: what is the MVP anymore? Is it still a regular-season award? Or is postseason momentum subtly guiding the vote? It sure felt like the Thunder’s win over Denver in the Western Conference Semifinals shifted the narrative. And it’s not the first time voter fatigue has played a role.

Derrick Rose beat out a 27-year-old LeBron James in 2011, although the league could unanimously determine Lebron was the better basketball player on all ends. Michael Jordan, the best player on the planet from 1988 to 1998, lost the MVP four times during that stretch. And, as stated, Jokic himself was passed over for Embiid two years ago in a race that already hasn’t aged well.

At the end of the day, Gilgeous-Alexander was the best player on the NBA’s best team and its top scorer, securing the MVP in a year where his excellence was abundant and appreciated by fans and analysts alike. Was it fair to Jokic? That’s still up for debate. What’s not is this: Shai was brilliant. His rise from fringe All-Star to MVP in just two years is a testament to his work ethic, leadership, and the Thunder’s long-term vision, and if he ends up winning a chip, I don't think fans will as upset with the NBA's decision. Meanwhile, Jokic isn’t regressing—he's evolving and shows no signs of slowing down as he enters his thirties.