The argument i would have to that is peak for peak who was better? Would you disagree that this current version of jokic is better than any version of steph? Even when he was the unanimous MVP i would argue he wasnt at this level, recall jokic is about to get the 3mvp and you can say he had a very strong case last year as well. In terms of kobe i would argue no championship he won as the number 1 option on the team not as a sidekick to shaq, was as good as jokic run last year, where he beat, the suns, lebron and a tough heat team. I just find it hard to say that a guy who is about to be a 3x league mvp and could likely have be 4x mvp if not for embiid winning last year in a very close vote, isnt better than steph or kobe with just one. if he wins this year then its a serious argument.
Then again you can say the same thing for giannis, cant you? What about KD? Is jokic closer?
Peak for peak, I don't know that Jokic has even peaked yet, mans is only in his 9th season. But assuming this is his peak, or that he's still peaking, I'd say he's maintaining this peak longer than Steph held his, which is a point in Jokic's favor...
As a 1-year peak no I don't believe I've yet seen Jokic higher than '16 Steph. But I also don't think I've seen Jokic that much lower than that either. Jokic's separation at peak is that, Steph really only held that supernova peak for a season. Jokic has held that peak for a multi-season stretch...
Even with that said I still think Steph has the better body of work as currently stands...
Jokic's run last year was and is overrated. It matters in the sense that he won it all but I don't view it as an All-Time run, we're getting way too loose with calling whoever wins the championship, an "All-Time run". I'm not looking at the players he beat, I'm looking at the actual teams. He didn't have to beat a great team last year, his team was just clearly better...
Now, he goes b2b, doesn't matter the quality of the opponents because guys don't just rip off b2b runs like nothing, been 6 years since we last saw a b2b run. But for the record if he goes b2b he'd have to go thru great teams----->this year's Lakers he got in Rd1 but they ARE better than last year's Lakers...
Everybody he faces henceforth will be better than the same round last year...
Kobe had a 15-year prime, bro. Jokic is in like the 6th year of his prime. With that gap in longevity you'd have to be dominating the sport to a higher degree than what Jokic is. Also the '09 Comeback Kobe run, or collectively paired with '10, those runs are comparable to '23 Jokic. Some of the shots Kobe was hitting in those runs, particularly I'm remembering the '09 WCF and Finals, are very reminiscent of Jokic going takeover mode in '23...
This run doesn't jump him into the Top 10 so it doesn't jump him over Kobe Bryant...
Moses Malone has three MVPs abd isn't considered GOAT10. He also led two teams to The Finals, he was a baller...
As far as Durant, his peak wasn't historically, obscenely high, so I think Jokic has peaked higher than Durant. I don't think he passes Durant with a title but I think that's much more arguable, Jokic is probably Top 20-ish finishing off with a chip this year (and probably still Top 25 if he doesn't win it this season). Durant had a 13-year prime, he'd still be ahead of Jokic for me but it would be closer...
Giannis and Jokic are neck and neck as the best player in ball and are both at the same level historically, somewhere in the 20s of greatest players ever. Peak is about the same to me, the separation is that Jokic has a takeover mode in crunch time that Giannis just doesn't have, and it'll probably be what ultimately separates him from Giannis in the long run. But player-to-player, Giannis is every bit as dominant and impactful except for in those clutch moments...
What team, though?
