We are just under three months removed from the Denver Nuggets hoisting their first-ever Larry O’Brien trophy. Both Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray showed out throughout the course of Denver’s climb to the NBA title, yet fans around the league still can’t seem to find respect for them.
In a recent community poll run by Bleacher Report, the pair was on the receiving end of some disrespectful voting from fans. Each player dropped in comparison to the rankings that were put together by the website’s writing staff last week.
The reigning Finals MVP dropped from first to fourth in the community polls, trailing behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Stephen Curry.
As for the team’s starting point guard, Murray, he fell from 16th all the way to 20th. The likes of Jaylen Brown, Ja Morant, De’Aaron Fox, and Donovan Mitchell all leapfrogged him in this round of polls.
Did fans fairly rank the Denver Nuggets star duo?
Probably not, right?
Of the players that were voted above Jokic, Antetkounmpo is the only whom it feels as if there’s a real argument for. Doncic has yet to have any major success with his Dallas Mavericks squad, and Curry just turned 35.
Antetkounmpo is at least still in his prime and has had the Milwaukee Bucks among the Eastern Conference’s top contenders for a sustained period of time.
Still, Jokic just put together one of the most impressive playoff runs in recent history, so it’s pretty tough to justify not giving him that top spot.
As for Murray and his drop in the ranks, fans may have had a point.
All three of Fox, Brown, and Mitchell were named to All-NBA teams last season, with Fox spearheading a surprise Sacramento Kings ascension. Mitchell played a key role in the Cleveland Cavaliers returning to contention without LeBron James for the first time in two decades. Brown was a key part of the Boston Celtics’ fifth trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in the past seven seasons, despite melting down against the Miami Heat.
Morant is probably the member of the quartet that needs the least justification. He’s completely revived the Memphis Grizzlies franchise and is one of the league’s best point guards and most exciting players in general. The main reason for his low ranking on the staff list was his lengthy suspension to start the year.
With all of that being said, there’s no doubt that Murray is poised to have himself a great season after taking his game to a new level in last spring’s playoffs.