Huge Jokic fan, but anybody who thinks SGA doesn’t have a great MVP case simply isn’t paying attention

I’ll expand my previous comment into its own thread:

SGA is currently leading Jokic in single-year EPM and LEBRON, is close in DARKO (I think he actually leads in single-year DARKO) and is only .1 behind in VPM/100. Even with regards to some first order (less win-predictive) “advanced” stats, he is close, like Win Shares/WS48.

He’s also played 5 more games and is leading his team to the #1 SRS in league history without his best teammate. Yes, really: higher than the ‘96 Bulls, ‘17 Warriors etc. By a full point.

So that invites the question: is his impact genuinely otherworldly or does he somehow have arguably the greatest supporting cast ever? I am more partial to the former. His supporting cast is amazing, but he is doing about as well as humanly possible with the hand he’s been dealt.

This idea that Jokic totally blows him out of the water statistically or otherwise is asinine. Jokic has deserved the last 4 MVP’s (I’ve spent ample time arguing for him) but there’s very legitimate competition this year, and that’s alright. It’s been disappointing seeing some of the purity spiralling going on amongst Nug/Jokic fans lately, treating praise of SGA as being tantamount to heresy.