ESPN panel doesn't rank Nikola Jokic as top-five contender for MVP

Apr 21, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors during game three of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN panel doesn't rank back-to-back reigning MVP Nikola Jokic as top-five contender for hardware

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 8/11/22

A panel of ESPN insiders ranked their top conference finals and NBA Finals contenders on Wednesday, leaving both the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers out of the mix. While that may not surprise many, given the seemingly never-ending drama on both rosters, what the panel had to say about their top MVP contenders for the 2022-2023 could shock some basketball fans, particularly in the "Mile High City."

The group of ESPN media members came out with their projections for every major award on Thursday and despite capturing back-to-back regular season MVP honors, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is nowhere near the top of the list of favorites for the hardware.

"Jokic may have captured the past two MVP awards, but our panel doesn't like his chances for a three-peat," the article reads. "(Giannis) Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, has the inside track to win his third award but has some company near the top. Both Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic and Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid are right on his heels in the voting, and (Stephen) Curry comes in fourth with an outside chance to follow his 2022 Finals MVP with the third regular-season award of his Hall of Fame career."

While Antetokounmpo tallied the most first-place votes, Doncic and Embiid tied for second and Curry finished in fourth place, Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers -- who didn't play a single game last season -- finished tied for fifth with the ascending star point guard Ja Morant. Jokic only comes in at a seventh-place tie with Boston Celtics' All-Star Jayson Tatum, and ranks ahead of Karl-Anthony Towns, Devin Booker and Anthony Davis.

Though Jokic is still just 27 years old and his accolades and statistics speak for themselves, history may be against him taking home the MVP award for the third straight year. Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird are the only three players to ever "three-peat" in the regular season MVP category, with Russell winning the award from 1961 to 1963, Chamberlain accomplishing the rarity from 1966 to 1968 and Bird doing so most recently, from 1984 to 1986.

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