Player poll sees Gilgeous-Alexander as clear MVP
Published
Canadian guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the overwhelming pick for MVP in The Athletic's Anonymous NBA player poll on Tuesday.
The seventh-year star just completed a brilliant season in which he led the NBA in scoring and guided the Oklahoma City Thunder to the best record in the league.
Gilgeous-Alexander, 26, was named one of three finalists for the NBA MVP over the weekend alongside three-time winner Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and two-time winner Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game across 74 games this season.
The Athletic polled 158 players across the NBA, with players from every team represented, and 56.1 per cent chose Gilgeous-Alexander as the league's MVP.
Jokic finished second at 37.4 per cent, with no other players receiving more than 2.0 per cent of votes.
“You’ve got to go with Shai," an anonymous player said. "It’s the No. 1 team in the West, (and) the way he’s been doing it (has been impressive). He’s taking those young guys to another level.”
“I love Jokić, but I just feel like Shai deserves it," added another player. "I thought Shai deserved it last year. Both of them deserve it. I think the benefit of the doubt has to go to Shai. It’s got to.”
Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander were finalists for the award a year ago, with Jokic taking 79 of 99 first-place votes. In last year's version of the anonymous player poll, Jokic edged Gilgeous-Alexander by a slim margin (41.8 per cent vs. 36.9 per cent).
Jokic won his third MVP award of his career last season, and is a finalist again this year after finishing in the top three in the NBA in points (29.7 per game), rebounds (12.7 per game) and assists (10.2 per game) - a feat never accomplished before in NBA history.
The winner of NBA awards will be announced throughout the opening round of the playoffs, with the exact date yet to be announced.