Metta World Peace drops eye-opening Celtics MVP take that will catch Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic’s attention

Barring an unforeseen turn of events, it looks as if Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic will be receiving the third MVP award of his career. The MVP discourse in 2023 turned toxic, and it seems like the voters have learned their lesson. Jokic’s impact became ever so apparent when he became the ultimate unsolvable puzzle en route to the Nuggets’ championship win, and he has mostly kept that pace for a Denver team that remains the favorite to win the title.

Jokic, through 78 games, is averaging 26.5 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 9.0 assists on 58 percent shooting from the field for a Nuggets team that remains in contention for the one-seed out West despite their shocking loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night. Those numbers are similar to when he won his first two MVPs, and his on-off impact remains near-unparalleled.

According to PBP Stats, the Nuggets are 19 points better per 100 possessions when Nikola Jokic is on the floor. That’s how valuable Jokic is to his team.

It’s difficult to knock Jayson Tatum for playing with better teammates. But the Celtics remain a world-beating team even with Tatum off the floor. In terms of sheer value added to one’s team, Tatum doesn’t come particularly close to Jokic.

Voters have also stopped placing a premium on seeding when it comes to deciding who the MVP must be. Joel Embiid was with the third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers last season, and Jokic even won an MVP while his team finished sixth. Russell Westbrook also won MVP despite playing for a low playoff seed.

This should not be a knock on Jayson Tatum and his abilities. The Celtics star should be a lock to finish in the All-NBA First Team anyway. But in terms of statistical output, on-off numbers, and narrative, Tatum will find it difficult to finish above three peers in particular in the MVP voting.

Should Jayson Tatum be penalized for playing for a stacked Celtics team?

Jayson Tatum has played in plenty of stacked Celtics teams throughout his career. Thus, he doesn’t exactly need to shoulder as big of an offensive burden as his peers do. Tatum is not a heliocentric source of offense in the mold of Luka Doncic, or a dominant big man like Nikola Jokic is. But he hasn’t exactly needed to assume such a role.

Will Tatum have a stronger MVP case if he played for a weaker Celtics team but averaged 32-9-6? Perhaps. But therein lies the many flaws of the MVP voting process, as it’s difficult to come to a universal agreement regarding the definition of “valuable” in professional basketball terms.