When You're The Best Player In The World And No One Cares 

I definitely think there’s some bias against Luka. When Embiid scored 70, everyone in the media was wetting themselves. Then Luka scores 73 and the media people were like “This is disgusting. There’s no defense in this league anymore.”

Bro's the first person to experience voter fatigue... before winning anything.

luka's moved up 2/3 places on the mvp list since this was made THANK YOU JXMY, YOU HAVE DONE MIRACLES

What "most valuable" means changes with the preferences of journalists. They decide who has the best storyline and adjust their arguments accordingly.

So much talent in the NBA nowadays that it kinda reminds me of what Syndrome said: "And when everyone's Super, no one will be"

the fact that he wasn’t even in the mvp ladder averaging 34,5 ppg after getting 73 points was a joke

Here after he jumped to Number 2, Jxmy might actually have that Perk effect

Jxmy, I'm pretty certain that this video has single handedly boosted Luka back into the mvp running. I never saw anything on socials about lukas performances, let alone his shot at mvp, but he's been completely blowing up my feed since the release of this vid. Thank you.

When I knew the disrespect was too much was when Luka dropped 73 against the Hawks. People started to question the NBA and the lack of defense but when Embied scored 70, everyone was praising him and said he locked up the MVP.

Next video with Jokic in the thumbnail hanging out with his horses in Serbia: "When You're The Best Player In The World And You Don't Care"

Fantastic video, well researched with a coherent and compelling argument. Thank you for putting in the time and effort, creating a library of videos with such consistent quality.

A similar thing happened in the 2018-19 season with James Harden. He averaged 36 - 6 - 7 and Houston was the 4th seed with a 53 - 29 record. His 36.1 ppg was the highest average since MJ in 1986-87. Similar to Luka, this was an incredible season that certainly surprised people, yet he didn’t win the MVP.

The fact that you gave on how a the team is doing without their best player is a perfect way to show how valuable a player really is

And to add to his case, the mavs have been one of the most injured teams this season. Kyrie - 23 games Exum - 26 Lively - 19 J.Green- 16 Maxi - 37

One of the only channels on this site where I'm never dissatisfied. And I don't even really follow sports. Great vid as always!

Best sports commentary on any media. Watch every video on this channel and always look forward to the next one. Jxmmy got me loving the NBA again.

No literally, the Luka disrespect is unreal. Everyone I see outside the media is genuinely confused as to why Luka isn't 2nd at minimum in MVP voting. Jokic probably still deserves it but it's like the media is hellbent on making sure Luka gets no credit in the MVP race like huh.

The reality is that the MVP award has always been narrative driven. It gives the media/fans something to talk about all year, and the standards change year-to-year based on personal preference.

I know this is already a banger, but I'm here to appreciate all the effort and study of every metric and statistic to put this video together! Jxmy you are the certified GOAT!

Great video! Very interesting analytics, clearly conveyed. Nice one!

Thank you for covering this Jxmy. I've been seeing what he's doing this season, and it's almost criminal how no one talks about it.

I’ve been saying this all season long. I genuinely don’t understand how he isn’t winning mvp. It’s an individually stat. Not a team stat.

@jxmyhighroller I love your content bro! Love how you actually put in time and effort into each video! Keep it up!

Hey Jxmy just watched the vid. Great video btw 🙌🏾 I think it would be cool if you made a video about “ how an NBA player earns that “superstar status”. Love the content brother keep going !!!

jxmy needs to have a media vote for every award. at this point i hate watching espn, give this man the respect he deserves.

Thank you for speaking the truth when media members choose to ignore it for whatever reason

Thank you

Man fantastic production! Subscribed.

I love you Jxmy for respecting Luka Edit: I know he doesn’t specifically say that he “respects” Luka, but he knows that he should at least be a top two MVP candidate. It really pains me to see that the media won’t even acknowledge him. I’m a mavs fan, and every single game this season Luka has shown out. Thank you jimmy for at the very least making a video about this issue.

Thanks for making this video! Luka needs more respect in the league. As a MFFL in Dallas I watch every game, go to a little less than half the home games every season, so I see what Luka is doing night after night on the court and his numbers aren't everything. The way this man goes about playing basketball is unbelievable! Dude is doing things that we've never seen before!

THANK YOU 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Crazy how different the conversation is just a week later heading down the stretch of the season with the mavs now at a 7 game win streak and 9-1 in their L10(The only loss being the one Luka missed). And his stats on average have actually dropped mostly during throughout the games(even including the 47 points against the Rockets), yet he’s still jumped up to 2nd.

As a Mavs fan it’s so refreshing to hear this. I feel like I’m going crazy sometimes seeing the NBA media barely acknowledge Luka for MVP.

FINALLY SOMEONE SPOKE UP ABOUT TS

Thank you for speaking my thoughts. I don’t have the time.

I had a chance of watching Luka in person at a home prep game here in Slovenia against Montenegro (with the 'Vutch' and the others). I was expecting big numbers from him as this were normal for him in the NBA. But after watching him drop 34/13/14, I got the feel how difficult that was to do. Man, it was ALL about him. True magic.

What’s funny is last time he made a video like this, it was about Jokic in 2022, and he ended up winning

Luka's talent is undeniable yet somehow underrated. How are we sleeping on this level of brilliance? 🏀💤

2 days after this video, luka jump to the number 2 FINALLY!! Jimmy, you did your job bro😂💪🏽

Good video but the thing about some of those on/off court points plus minus is that the way the teams are structured makes a big difference. The Celtics are loaded, if Tatum is out, others know they have to play different and do more -- and because they are so good, they CAN. Dallas, outside of Kyrie, has no one who can do more....it's more or less a bunch of role players. For the games missed, the stat is not even significant with only samples of 5 and 8 games, which all may have their own underlying reasons for being what they are.

Jxmy at 2 am gotta love it

Not only is Luka dominating in all these basic stats, when you look at intricate stats like: Passing versatility, potential assists, post-up defense (points allowed), rebounding skill, steals, offensive rating when he's On/vs Off and MOST IMPORTANTLY, his WIN % is about 60%, but his team could NEVER win a game without him or stay healthy, u start to notice how good he really is and how much importance ur team having to be close to a super team is to win MVP

such a great video. so many great stats and graphics were shown and it was very well edited. I think Luka should get the MVP award for sure.

This video was needed. Luka deserves the MVP this season 100p

As a Mavs fan Jxmy, this video just made my day, thank you for recognizing the absurdity that Luka’s effort and numbers haven’t been appreciated and downright ignored.

Mavs have been the 2nd most injured team all season and has kept them a few games behind the top 6 seeds the whole season. Unanimous MVP

quality content every single time, hope you have contents more frequent sir!

The Mavs are poised to be more successful going forward. The moves they made this year has really created the most complete and deep roster Luka has. There are still some areas of weakness, but with Gafford and Lively, you have two mobile bigs who are dominant in the pick and roll with both Luka and Kyrie. If one is out, you don't really miss much with the other. When Kyrie is healthy, it takes a lot of pressure off Luka. They are both ball dominant players, but it works with the way this roster is constructed. I also think PJ was a great pick up. We have yet to see his ceiling in the league, he has a lot of wrinkles to his game. He can stretch the floor, finish strong down low, has a post and defensive presence. PJ can be a beast and I believe he is the x factor for this team. He could be the 3rd part of a big 3 with Luka and Kyrie. Exum has been a nice pickup when healthy. Comparing this roster to the past where Dwight Powell was your STARTING CENTER is daylight and dark. I respect Powell's story. He was an afterthought in the Rondo trade and made something of himself in Dallas. However, he is at best a backup PF (or preferably 3rd string lol). Having guys like him and Kleber starting and playing significant minutes just shows you how weak these teams have been. Those guys are good as role players off the bench. That, the failed Tingus Pingus experiment, the Seth Curry carousel, what this team needs is consistency. I like this current roster. If they could unload "Mr. Inconsistency" Tim Hardaway Jr. for a more efficient, consistent, 3 and D guy with some other wrinkles to his game, then I think this roster is set. Will have to wait until next season for that though. In the meantime, try and keep this core around.

Narrative is also very important. In 2017. when Westbrook won the MVP, not only did he average 30point triple-double, but because KD left him in summer of 2016. everyone felt bad for Russ, yet he carried OKC to 6th seed in tough western conference. When Jokic won the MVP in 2022. as a 6th seed, his 2nd (Jamal) and 3rd (MPJ) best players were injured for a WHOLE season, and yet Nikola lead his Monstars made out of Monte Morris, Will Barton, 35 y/o Jeff Green and Aaron Gordon (Austin Rivers, Facundo Campazzo, JaMychal Green, Bones Hyland, Davon Reed, Zeke Naji and Bryn Forbes bench) to 48 wins and a 6th seed. That same season top seeds in the east were Heat with 53 wins and Celtics, Bucks and 76ers with 51 wins each, while in the west Suns had 64 wins with Booker and CP3 and Grizzlies had 56 wins (Mavs were 4th seed with 52 wins). Out of all of those teams, the only players seen as a threat for MVP were Embiid and Giannis and their teams only had 3 wins more than injury riddled Nuggets. So the narrative was if Nikola had his boys to play alongside with, Denver would've been top 2 seed (which they proved in the following 2022/23 season).

There’s no simple answer, but what I do know is that Jokic had a starting backcourt of Monte Morris and Austin Rivers in his second MVP season. The player with the second most minutes/game was Will Barton. Facundo Campazzo, Jamychal Green, Boogie, and Bryn Forbes were major rotation pieces. 6/7 of those guys don’t even play in the league anymore. They were not a play in team. Win totals are similar, but sometimes that’s just the way it is. If the Nuggets had been in the play in Jokic would not have won. That was the narrative that season.

That Luka/Tatum comparison at 13:00 is case and point.

For content: By the end of the season the Mavs won 50 games and were 5th seed in the west. This season 50 wins was more than every team in the east besides the Celtics. (Knicks won 50) Luka maintained this production.

Imagine being so good that people see you putting up 32pt 9reb 12ast and all you hear is "well thats just another day for Luka"

3:24 when this song comes on you know Jxmmy is cooking

Thank you, you make a miracle 🎉

Great video man

thank you so much for this, at least someone who does not take for granted luka"s greatness. i'm a huge luka fan, and it hurts that the media seems to hate luka and does not appreciate how good of a player he is. The biggest proof was when luka scored 73 points, instead of appreciating how good luka is, they went crazy by saying it was disgusting that the league plays no defense now but when embid scored 70, they were so all over him, that embid is the greatest player, locked in mvp, etc. it just so sad as a fan, that's why i don't watch any sports news or channel anymore, they were disgusting asf.

Been saying this for the last few months. Its hard to continue to understand how great he is when everyone is saying otherwise.

I think it all comes down to PR. If the league picks you as a star they will push your name as much as possible. If they see you as having a niche market appeal, they will throttle your exposure. That simple.

THANK YOU

“Is Jayson Tatum more valuable than Luka this season?” All that needed to be said.

He’s such a beast. He’s been dominant since day one.

Jimmy you the GOAT thanks man

Great breakdown by the way! Great video

I was so depressed and alone, then my phone light up with notification. New Jxmyhighroller video. Happy again. Thank you JxmyHigheroller.

Last time he made this video was about Jokic, and the man won MVP. Let's hope that happens again.

I hardly watch basketball much these days, but have always come back to tune in on certain guys and Luka is definitely him. I think this guy has GOAT status written all over him eventually.

I’m sure they’re doing it but if I have an NBA team I would be setting up shop in Serbia studying their players.

He is definitely the most valuable and best player on earth THIS SEASON. Mavs are only 2 games behind the 4th seed while being the most injured team in the league after Memphis and Miami. I still think they can get to 50 wins this season. That's the only chance for Luka

He’s an improved defender, shooter, playmaker, and leader who’s been crucial to the mavs with his heroics. No way anyone else brings value to their team like he does

you sold me on him, very nicely done

LMAO! He called that the Mavs might reach 50+ wins... you were so right man! Just as I said before. Media is hating on Luka and you can see it in the 73 points reaction

Man your videos are just so damn good. No matter how many vids I watch I still find myself being so impressed by the quality of your content. You never fail to find an interesting topic and do a great job breaking it down using advanced stats and logic analysis. The amount of game data and stats you comb through is mind blowing and I can't imagine how tedious it must be. Your content is amazing and I anxiously await your future vids.

As a Mavs fan, THANK YOU🙏🙏

Great vid! I get mesmerized by how Luka controls time and space. He causes a glitch in the matrix

I've always made this argument. MVP= Most VALUABLE Player. Meaning, the player that brings the most value to their team, without whom that team would be noticably worse off.

How does this effect Dillon brooks legacy?

Thanks for the shoutout to Sabonis! I think it again highlights how talented the league is that a player like him does not get an all star position when a decade ago he would clearly be in the MVP conversation with those same numbers

I wanna know how much time it takes to make these vids this is elite stuff right here

Dont forget how teams are arranged around their star players, in Luka case the MAVs are so integrated around Luca at the helm, as opposed to Tatum that the comparison becomes oranges vs apples.

Something you didn’t mention and it’s very important is narratives. In 2017 Westbrook had that insane season, plus the narrative of having to carry the thunder after KD left. In 2022 Jokic was playing without his 2 best teammates and still took them to the playoffs.

The problem with Luka is he dominates almost every single game. If you see a random Knicks player scoring 30pt triple double, ESPN will be talking about him 24/7. Luka got 6 straight… THE MOST ALL TIME… and media barely mentioned his name.

I love how everyone is talking about how the journalists make the mvp but no one realizes that Jokic is clearly the best player and gets next to no credit from journalists because of his "uninteresting" playstyle..

Thanks for calling the hypocrisy out. Luka is definitely top 2 in MVP realistically, for me personally #1

I remembered I had countless discussions about that before Lebron's MVP in cleveland. Arguably, you are even more valuable if your team needs you. I liked how you showed the statistics about the missing games, how different they perform with or without the player. (of course, this couldn't be the most valuable stats, because players might want to skip difficult games to make the stats look better). Or maybe winshares, or maybe other metrics that really shows not only how good you are, but how valuable you are for your team. I hope this leads to more discussion towards this.

jimmy better than ESPN or any sort of mainstream basketball media. also uploading this at 4am is crazy but i love you for it

Value has several meanings. Value in selling stuff not just winning or having the best stats. Other guys want to play with him, he gets the best powder, etc

At 12:55 you are missing a crucial point: how do those numbers look **with them** on the court?

There is no way Joel "Im allergic to the conference finals" Embiid gets a pity MVP and Luka cant even be top 3 in voting. Shai and Tatum being in front of Luka in MVP voting is the most egregious thing Ive seen since the Iggy finals MVP.

Thank goodness Jxmy made a video about how absurdly good Luka has been this season.

Speak my mind brother!!

I wonder what Luka's averages would be if you were to swap him and Tatum - how many more wins would the Mavs have with Tatum? Could Luka average 12+ AST with a roster like the Celtics? Makes you think.

Easily the best, most comprehensive analysis of the MVP award and of the ridiculous Luka bias. Excellent breakdown of the numbers and the historical precedence as well.

Man didn’t even mention that Mavericks have had the most injured starting roster in the league and they are still in the sixth seed with Luka, it is called Most Valuable Player for a reason! His second option during all of December was Dante Exum! Luka is incredibly underrated by the media and it’s frustrating. Even his 70 point game was underplayed and didn’t even receive close to the narrative that Embiid did for his 70pt game. It’s actually concerning why he isn’t leading the MVP conversation, is it voter fatigue, win record, usage rate, team, what is the actual excuse for him not to win it?

Thank you!

You have to either be doing a RIDICULOUSLY unprecedented carry job, have no competition, or be poised to win a championship with yourself clearly at the helm. Luka is none of those.

I remember when he made this video about Jokic. Love the callback.

I really look up to Luka as a player. His skill and scoring finesse is undoubtedly great. Such a shame he is criminally underrated in most talks.

FInally people start talking about it. Thanks for this video, bro.

wait, why are the celtics better with tatum off the court ? i know thats just a side note in the vote but that seems crazy to me. Anyone have any theories on why ? defense ? edit: ohbwait those are differentials in general not compared to tatum on the court, i think thats where i messed up.