The opposite MVP never cared about his hit rate - the real active number one player in the league

In Game 4 of this Monday, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic called a timeout after Jaren Williams made two free throws to widen the Oklahoma City Thunder's lead to five points.

Jokic launched the longest shot in the NBA playoffs this season after receiving a pass from Michael Porter Jr.!

It doesn't matter if Jokic miraculously hit that ball. It's not even a one-round game. But as Jokic later pointed out in a plain tone, it is not impossible for the Nuggets to force the game into overtime, but the possibility is extremely low.

"Maybe they will foul, maybe they will get technical fouls," Jokic told ESPN. "You never know what will happen."

This mistake made Jokic's three-game shooting rate worse, and it also added another point to his abnormal inefficiency. During that time, he shot 33.3% from the field (21 of 63 shots) and 18.2% from 3-pointers (4 of 22 shots), which is one of the most prominent storylines in the series against the top Thunder and the NBA's most stingy defense.

If even the tiniest shot could affect the outcome of the game, Jokicchi would let it fly, no matter how far he was from the basket or how far-fetched the shot was. These prayers make our three-time MVP competitive personality, and while his approach goes against the modern NBA's digital-oriented culture, he makes historical output and efficiency common.

"I don't care about shooting percentages," Jokic said. "I think everyone should shoot it. Why not? It's a scoring opportunity, so I'll shoot at any time"

If Jokic's five offenses in the backcourt at the end of the season are subtracted, his efficiency figures will be significantly improved. He played 6 times in the series and 7 times in the playoffs. But Jokic doesn't care about protecting his shooting percentage.

"No one cares about this," Jokic laughed after scoring 44 points on 17 of 25 shots and losing in Game 5 on Wednesday.

The real MVP is never determined by hit rate

According to Basketball Reference, Jokic tied for the league with 8 shots in the 2023-24 season! When he won the MVP award for the third time.

Jokic never rejects long-range shots to protect his shooting percentage – a routine throughout the league – has become an obsession this season. He looked for opportunities and tried 22 times in the 2024-25 season, the most regular season of any player in the website recorded in the 29 years. So far, he has had seven playoffs with ultra-long distance attacks five more than any other player in the playoffs.

Jokic's three-point shooting percentage remains the career-high 41.7%. For a long time this season, Jokic's turnover was the reason why he couldn't lead in three-point shooting percentage.

"Most good players care about their stats. Anyway," Nuggets interim coach David Adelman told ESPN. "We've seen many examples where some people just shoot at the bell. Or deliberately delay time in order not to miss the shot, but for Nikola, he shot at this level and still keeps shooting -- because, hey, that's possible for you to win the game -- which shows how selfless he is in every way."