Inside The Wizards

Former Wizards Star Calls Out MVP Nikola Jokic

The former face of the Washington Wizards franchise has called out the reigning league MVP.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 8, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) controls the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Dec 8, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) controls the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
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Former Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas may not be playing on the court anymore, but he is unafraid in sharing his opinion on those who currently occupy the space.

Recently, the Wizards snapped a 16-game losing streak when they beat Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, who have been sailing around the .500 mark over the course of the season.

Jokic has been the primary reason behind Denver's success this season, averaging 32.3 points, 13.6 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game. Against the Wizards, he made history by scoring 56 points while grabbing 16 rebounds and dishing out eight assists, posting a stat line never before seen in the NBA.

However, Arenas had something to say in regards to Jokic's stats.

"When Jordan had a historic year when he had 37 points a game, you're not close to winning the MVP. Same thing when Kobe came back and did it," Arenas said on his podcast h/t Basketball Network. "Everyone on a bad team can put up real good numbers. But before, in the last 30-something years, you didn't reward individual play. We see it every year, there's some player that is on a bad team. That's putting up what's it called empty stats? They don't want to call it empty stats when they're losing? It just makes no sense."

The Nuggets likely would have rather enjoyed a win instead of Jokic's historic stat line if they had to choose between the two, which explains Arenas' point. The stat that matters the most in the NBA is wins, not points, rebounds or assists.

Denver is only two years removed from a championship, so there is time and reason for things to turn around, but the Nuggets should have their focus on winning rather than Jokic's numbers in the box score.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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