As part of the 2023-24 NBA MVP award presentation for Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche presented Jokic with the trophy. This comes after Jokic presented MacKinnon with the 2024 Hart Memorial Trophy, the NHL’s award for most valuable player, two weeks ago.
Jokic has won three of the last four NBA MVP awards and finished second in MVP voting in 2022-23, when Joel Embiid won the award. The 29-year-old also won the 2023 Finals MVP award (also known as the Bill Russell Trophy) during the year the Nuggets won the title.
MacKinnon also has his fair share of awards. He won the 2013-14 Calder Memorial Trophy (rookie of the year), the 2019-20 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (best sportsmanship), the 2023-24 Ted Lindsay Award (Most Outstanding Player, chosen by the NHLPA) and the 2023-24 Hart Memorial Trophy. He was also a key member of the Avalanche’s 2022 championship season.
The Nuggets dropped their game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, 109-104.
Nuggets already facing heavy criticism
Just two games into the 2024-25 season, and everybody is telling the Nuggets what they are, what they aren’t and how they need to redo their whole roster.
Sure, Denver’s 102-87 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder to start the season was difficult to watch at times as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knifed his way through the defense, and Chet Holmgren had a stellar 25/14/5 game with four blocks and two steals. However, the Nuggets were the second seed in the West last season behind Oklahoma City.
In typical fashion, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith bloviated about how the Nuggets are in trouble this year while on First Take.
“Denver looked old. Now they’re not old but, against Oklahoma City, they look old and I’m worried about them. Because we know the combination of Jokic and Murray and what they bring to the table, how extraordinary they are. But I’m looking at Murray and just looking for it. I’ve been raving about Russell Westbrook being on that team but you know what?
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“Against a young squad like Oklahoma City with Chet Holmgren, who by the way we’d be talking about more if it wasn’t for Victor Wembanyama,” Smith said before praising Holmgren and the new off-season additions to the Thunder roster.”
Jokic also confronted the team’s struggles and how they can be better, per ClutchPoints’ Tomer Azarly.
“We are not a good shooting team, I think. Except Mike [Porter Jr.] and then Jamal [Murray],” Jokic admitted. “All of us are kind of streaky – not streaky, but just average shooters. So, yeah. But we have something else. We can probably be better, have an advantage in some other things on the floor.”
After a couple of days off, the 0-2 Nuggets will play their next three games on the road against the Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves.