NBA analyst Rachel Nichols had a controversial take on her MVP ballot in a recent episode of the “Open Floor” podcast.
When discussing the otherworldly season that Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Dončić is having, which surely puts him in consideration for this year’s league MVP, Nichols, for one, isn’t one of those who will consider him for the honor on her ballot.
Why Rachel Nichols Will Snub Luka Dončić for MVP
Nichols, who was once with ESPN and is now with Fox Sports, gave one major reason why she would snub him in the “Open Floor” podcast.
While discussing how she considers MVP candidates, she addressed Austin Reaves’ contention that his superstar teammate is being wrongly overlooked for the award by voters. Nichols said: “It is a full-season award, and it’s on both sides of the ball.”
Where does Luka Dončić stack up in the NBA MVP race? 🤔
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This is an interesting take, considering that, objectively, there is a Defensive Player of the Year award for a reason: to give separate credit to the league’s best defensive player. And nothing within the MVP specifically mentions “both sides of the ball.” So, this may be a subjective definition of the term “valuable.”
Nevertheless, she doubled down on rejecting Dončić from consideration: “Is he the top contender for MVP right now? No. Is the reason because you do have to play both sides of the ball for all eight months of the season? Yes.”
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She then stated he will not be in consideration for MVP on her ballot: “So, am I gonna vote him my number one for MVP? No. Is he gonna be on my ballot? Absolutely.”
She did mention, however, that Dončić is improving defensively and isn’t the liability on that side of the ball, as some others think.
It is fair to ask whether she had the same definition in mind when James Harden won the MVP for the Houston Rockets in 2018, averaging over 30 points per game. Or when Stephen Curry won back-to-back MVPs.
Both are capable defenders, but they are best known for their game-changing offense, which helped them win those awards, let alone Steve Nash’s MVP, to name a few. It seems the qualifications for MVP may have changed of late.
Regardless of where he ends up on this year’s voters’ ballots, Dončić is having an incredible season, currently leading the NBA in scoring with 33.7 points per game, 2.0 points per game ahead of fellow MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Slovenian is also averaging 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 36.6 percent from three-point range. Plus, he already has a 60-point game under his belt.
One could also argue that he has carried the load for the Lakers during a season in which his teammates have suffered numerous injuries, including to LeBron James at the start of the year. This has kept them as a third seed in the loaded Western Conference.
