NBA Top 75 Member Damian Lillard Weighs In MVP Races, “Why Isn’t Devin Booker At The Top Of List”
The Phoenix Suns have the best record in the league at 61-14, and all-star guard Devin Booker is a considerable part of their success this season. He averages 26.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game through 64 games played this season.
With Booker recording these numbers, his team has the best record in the league. Why isn’t he mentioned higher on the MVP list above names such as Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Ja Morant?
The same question Portland Trailblazer’s guard Damian Lillard referenced while recently speaking with NBA Reporter Ashley Nevel.
“My criteria would be who is playing at that level, and their presence and impact is making their team more successful than they should be or more successful than everybody else,” said Lillard.
“Or being successful regardless of this guy is hurt or whatever these adversities are. So, it is not just what their record is. It’s how they are maintaining or how this person’s performance over this long season allowed his team to be in this position had he not been at that level. The perfect would be Russ being a six seed, but he averaged 32, a triple-double, and played every game. [However] they probably get the number one pick if he’s not out there playing like that. So, it’s like he should be MVP and that’s not common.”
He added, “Like right now, how is Devin Booker at the top of the damn list? I don’t understand how? I don’t care what nobody says. There is no way. Like how is he not at the top of this list? And I love Jokic’s game. He is everything that we all say he is, but their team is winning enough; I think they are 42-30 or 42-31, which is great without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. They have dealt with a lot; I think he should be up there for the reasons I just said. They are missing a lot of their best guys, shorthanded, and he is still finding a way to get triple-doubles [averaging] 25 points, 20 rebounds, and 14 assists. He’s dominating these games, so he should be up there are well.”
“The Sun are about to have 60 wins, and CP has been out since the All-Star break. Before that, I think Ayton was out, and they started Javale McGee for all these games. All this stuff has been going on, and he’s [Booker] been like 35, 25 [8 and 8], 44, and 49. Quietly, just killing, being consistent, and winning. Every time I’m looking at the box scores of the games around the league, the Suns won again, he is the best player on the team and he is producing. How is this dude not at the top up there? “
Per Chris Haynes, Lillard is currently out for the season nursing an abdominal injury after undergoing season-ending surgery in January,
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