Warriors’ Green says Suns’ Booker is his MVP
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was wondering back in February why he hadn’t heard Devin Booker’s name in the MVP discussion.
“With the last month or month and a half of basketball that he’s played, I’m not even sure how his name hasn’t crept up in the MVP conversation, but All-NBA, like, that’s a no-brainer,” Green said during NBA All-Star weekend in Cleveland.
Now Green is letting everyone know he believes the Phoenix Suns threetime All-Star should win the award this season.
“My MVP is, (pause), Devin Booker,” Green said Tuesday on ‘The Draymond Green Show’ podcast. “I think Book has been consistent all year. I think, as good as their team has been, again, we go back to the conversation that there is no criteria. Some years, it’s the best player on the best team.”
Green then talked about Russell Westbrook winning the award for the 2016-17 season when the Thunder finished sixth in the Western Conference with a 47-35 record.
Westbrook averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists that season to become the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double in a season.
Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson was the first.
“Don’t get me wrong, he deserved to win, but we all just wonder what’s the criteria,” Green later said about Westbrook.
Nikola Jokic is looking to win backto-back MVPs, but Denver is fifth in the West with a 47-32 record heading into Tuesday’s games.
Jokic is averaging a near triple-double of 26.8 points, 13.7 rebounds and eight assists.
Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant are also in the MVP conversation.
Embiid’s 76ers and Antetokounmpo’s Bucks’ are both 48-30 this season behind East-leader Miami while Morant has led the Grizzlies (55-23) to the second-best record in the league behind the Suns (62-16).
The Suns have a seven-game lead on the Grizzlies, but lost the regular season series, 2-1. Memphis is the only team to have a winning record on Phoenix this season.
Embiid is averaging 30.2 points. 11.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, Antetokounmpoo is registering 30.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists and Morant is averaging 27.6 points, 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds.
Booker is averaging fewer points than Embiid, Antetokounmpo, Nokic and Morant at 26.6 a game. He’s averaging fewer rebounds than Morant at 5.0 a game and fewer assists than Morant, Jokic and Antetokounmpo at 4.9, but Booker has led the Suns to the NBA’s best record.
“For me, for my criteria, Devin Booker is the MVP of the NBA,” Green said. “As consistent as he’s been. He’s faced injuries. He’s come back, hasn’t missed a beat. Their team has continued to win. They’re leading the NBA in first place by a long shot. Got to go with Devin Booker as my MVP.”