{"id":695363,"date":"2026-04-03T05:16:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T05:16:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/695363\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T05:16:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T05:16:41","slug":"ex-nuggets-coach-backs-gilgeous-alexander-over-jokic-for-mvp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/695363\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Nuggets Coach Backs Gilgeous-Alexander Over Jokic for MVP"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"AA cubist interpretation of the heated MVP race between Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.Denver Today<\/p>\n

Former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has surprisingly chosen Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as his pick for the 2025-2026 NBA MVP award over his former star center Nikola Jokic. Malone praised Gilgeous-Alexander’s clutch play and consistency, saying he’s been the “best clutch player in the NBA” this season.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

Malone’s comments carry significant weight as he coached Jokic for several seasons and helped the Nuggets star develop into a multi-time MVP. Jokic is once again a top contender for the award this year, but Malone believes Gilgeous-Alexander’s all-around impact and historic statistical season make him the more deserving choice.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

Malone cited Gilgeous-Alexander’s league-leading 5 game-tying or go-ahead field goals in the final 30 seconds of games, as well as his chance to become the first guard to average 30 points per game while shooting 55% from the field. Despite Jokic’s own impressive stats, including averages of a triple-double for the second straight season, Malone believes Gilgeous-Alexander’s consistency and clutch play give him the edge.<\/p>\n

Nikola Jokic has been an MVP finalist every season since 2020-2021, winning the award 3 times.Jokic lost the MVP award in 2023 to Joel Embiid and in 2025 to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.This season, Jokic is posting averages of 27.7 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 10.8 assists per game in 61 games played.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Michael Malone<\/p>\n

Former head coach of the Denver Nuggets who helped develop Nikola Jokic into a multi-time MVP winner.<\/p>\n

Nikola Jokic<\/p>\n

Denver Nuggets star center who has won the NBA MVP award 3 times and is a top contender again this season.<\/p>\n

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/p>\n

Oklahoma City Thunder guard who Malone believes should win the 2025-2026 NBA MVP award over Jokic.<\/p>\n

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\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s proven himself to be the best clutch player in the NBA. He’s got five game-tying or go-ahead field goal makes in the last 30 seconds, and he’s got a chance to be the first guard ever to average 30 points per game while shooting 55% from the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Michael Malone, Former Denver Nuggets Head Coach<\/p>\n

\u201cNo disrespect to Wemby, Nikola Jokic, and everybody else, but I think SGA is incredible in his ability to impact the game in all shapes and forms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Michael Malone, Former Denver Nuggets Head Coach<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

The NBA will announce the 2025-2026 MVP award winner in the coming weeks, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic as the top contenders based on Malone’s comments.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

Malone’s surprising MVP pick highlights the incredible seasons put together by both Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic, and underscores the difficult decision voters will have to make between the two dominant players. Jokic’s continued excellence and Gilgeous-Alexander’s emergence as a true superstar have made the NBA MVP race one of the most compelling in recent memory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a A cubist interpretation of the heated MVP race between Nuggets…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":695364,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3781],"tags":[7,301,187,3943,6,302],"class_list":{"0":"post-695363","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-denver-nuggets","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-denver","10":"tag-denver-nuggets","11":"tag-denvernuggets","12":"tag-nba","13":"tag-nuggets"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116339081289352159","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/695364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}