MVP voting results hint at massive snub on the horizon for Jaylen Brown

Nobody was realistically expecting Jaylen Brown to win the MVP Award this season, but the fact that he got himself into the conversation is an amazing achievement, nonetheless. The odds were against the Celtics, and JB rose to the occasion, turning in the best campaign of his 10-year career.

The playoffs went horribly wrong for Jaylen and the Celtics, but that certainly doesn’t erase what he did for Boston over the course of the 82-game season. So, when the award voting was revealed on Sunday, although he obviously didn’t win, it was cool to see Brown’s name on the list, finishing in the top 10 for the first time in his career, with a sixth-place finish.

As expected, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the award for a second straight season, dominating the vote. He received 83 first-place votes and 939 voting points, Nikola Jokic came in second with 10 first-place votes and 634 voting points, and Victor Wembanyama finished third with five first-place votes and 569 voting points.

That top-3 went about as expected, and there was understandably a big gap between those three and everybody else. But after that, it seemed like fair game for the next three spots, and sadly, it didn’t go JB’s way. 

Luka Doncic finished fourth with 250 voting points, appearing on 92 of the 100 ballots (ballots have 5 spots), Cade Cunningham finished fifth with 117 voting points, appearing on 59 ballots, and Brown came in sixth with 89 voting points, appearing on 47 ballots.

The only other players to receive a vote were Kawhi Leonard and Donovan Mitchell, who each received a single 5th-place vote. So, there was a clear top-3 and then a clear next three, and Brown found himself on the bottom end, falling behind Cade by just a few votes.

Brown likely to be snubbed from First-Team All-NBA spot

Finishing sixth is still an amazing accomplishment, but unfortunately, this is likely an indication of things to come as we’ll see the All-NBA teams revealed later this week. Brown is a lock to make it, but there are only five spots on the First-Team, and assuming the voting goes similarly, JB appears to be on the outside looking in, staring at a Second-Team finish.

Again, that’s still an awesome feat, and obviously nothing to be ashamed of, but it still feels a little disappointing. Jaylen was awesome night in and night out and helped lead a Celtics team stuffed with guys on minimum contracts and rookie deals, logging major minutes to a 2-seed in the East.

It’s even more annoying when you factor in that Brown will likely never have a better season, and had a great case to have it dignified with a first-team selection. Furthermore, it’s a bit clouded by the NBA’s decision to grant eligibility to Luka and Cade despite both players falling short of the 65-game rule.

Hopefully, I’m wrong, and the voting for All-NBA goes differently. This will all sound like sour grapes, and this Jaylen season will be properly remembered in the annals of history. But if not, it almost feels like one final twist of the knife to cap off a brutally ugly ending to what was a magical season for the Celtics.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow