Best Online Tech Support

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic made history Tuesday night when he was named the NBA MVP for the 2020-21 season.

Jokic became the lowest-drafted player to come away with the award. The Denver star also became the first center to win MVP since Shaquille O'Neal earned the honor in 2000.

The announcement was a moment two decades in the making for Jokic and the centers of the NBA.But it was also a reminder of how impactful second-round picks can be in the NBA Draft and how some talented players can slip.

When was Jokic drafted? And why did he last so long? Here's a look athow the Nuggets were able to scoop up an MVP-caliber player so late in the 2014 NBA Draft.

MORE:

When was Nikola Jokic drafted?

Nikola Jokic was selected with the 41st overall pick in Jaromir Jagr Jersey the 2014 NBA Draft. He was selected one pick after Glenn Robinson III and one pick ahead of Nick Johnson.

At the time, not much was known about Braden Holtby Jersey Jokic, an 18-year-old playing in the Adriatic League and, later, the Serbian League. He had averaged11.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.5 a sists per game in 25 Adrian League contests, but he wasn't considered a big-time prospect.

In fact, the announcement of Jokic's selection wasn't even aired during ESPN's coverage of the 2014 draft. His name simply popped up on the bottom line during a Taco Bell commercial.

Nikola Jokic was picked 41st...during a Taco Bell commercial.Now, hes the MVP

The A sociation (@a sociation)

Several prospects have that happen to them each year, but usuallythe network cuts back for the announcements of the bigger names in the draft. Jokic, an unknown, was not considered one of them.

NBA AWARDS:

Why was Nikola Jokic drafted so low?

Jokic lasted so long for myriad reasons thatNuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly explained in a 2019 interview. But the top i sue seemed to be his body type.

Its such an inexact science,Connelly said of the draft, per the . Nikola, up to that point, his profe sional numbers (in Europe) had not been something that would jump off the page, and certainly the body type is one that Jakub Vrana Jersey its easy to have questions about.

Indeed, Jokic's lack of athleticism and strength were a talking point in his early NBA seasons, but he has largely overcome them to turn into an MVP-caliber player.

But what made Denver willing to take a chance on him?

We thought about past drafts of teams that mi sed on guys like him, Connelly said on . Like Marc Gasol wasn't exactly Adonis (a Greek mythological figure known for his physique) when he was selected in the second round and he turned into a great player. So, all of these things come into play and then you say, well, he's an elite pa ser, he's got great feel for the game.

Certainly, that pa sing ability has translated to the NBA. And his "feel for the game" seems to be what led Denver to expre s interest in Jokic.

It's a good thing they did. Jokic was ready to withdraw from the draft before the Nuggets gave him a promise that they would use the 41st selection on him. That sealed his entry into the 2014 draft and allowed the Nuggets to land him.

MORE: Brooks Orpik Jersey

Who went ahead of Nikola Jokic in the 2014 NBA Draft?

Overall, 40 players went ahead of Jokic and, retrospectively, it's hard to argue that any should've gone ahead of him. MVP runner-up Joel Embiid probably has the best case, if you want to have that argument.

However, Jokicleads the '14 draft cla s with 64.4 career win shares, a metric that estimates the number of the wins created by a specific player, and it isn't particularly close. The second-place man in the draft, Clint Capela, is nearly 20 win shares behind Alex Ovechkin Jersey Jokic.

Of the 60 players selected in the '14 draft, 25 players lasted three or fewer seasons in the NBA. Of those 25, 10 players went ahead of Jokic, including DeAndre Daniels, the 37th overall pick who never played in the NBA.

Here's a full look at the 2014 NBA Draft, including the player selected at each spot and their total win shares for their career.

PickTeamPlayerWin Shares1CavaliersAndrew Wiggins18.92BucksJabari Parker13.5376ersJoel Embiid31.64MagicAaron Gordon23.65JazzDante Exum3.16CelticsMarcus Smart247LakersJulius Randle28.38KingsNik Stauskas3.89HornetsNoah Vonleh9.21076ersElfrid Payton15.911NuggetsDoug McDermott17.712MagicDario ari16.413TimberwolvesZach LaVine17.814SunsT.J. Warren19.615HawksAdreian Payne-0.616BullsJusuf Nurki19.717CelticsJames Young0.818SunsTyler Ennis1.319BullsGary Harris18.620RaptorsBruno Caboclo1.521ThunderMitch McGary1.322GrizzliesJordan Adams0.423JazzRodney Hood16.724HornetsShabazz Napier8.125RocketsClint Capela44.526HeatP.J. Hairston0.927SunsBogdan Bogdanovi12.528ClippersC.J. Wilcox0.129ThunderJosh Huestis0.730SpursKyle Anderson23.531BucksDamien Inglis-0.13276ersK.J. McDaniels1.333CavaliersJoe Harris2034KnicksCleanthony Early-0.635JazzJarnell Stokes0.636BucksJohnny O Dennis Maruk Jersey 'Bryant0.237RaptorsDeAndre Daniels38PistonsSpencer Dinwiddie18.43976ersJerami Grant25.840TimberwolvesGlenn Robinson III7.941NuggetsNikola Joki64.442RocketsNick Johnson-0.143HawksEdy Tavares0.244TimberwolvesMarkel Brown1.145HornetsDwight Powell29.846WizardsJordan Clarkson18.14776ersRu s Smith-0.248BucksLamar Patterson0.149BullsCameron Bairstow-0.150SunsAlec Brown51KnicksThanasis Antetokounmpo0.95276ersVasilije Mici53TimberwolvesAle sandro Gentile5476ersNemanja Dangubi55HeatSemaj Christon0.156NuggetsDevyn Marble-0.357PacersLouis Labeyrie58SpursJordan McRae1.759RaptorsXavier Thames60SpursCory Jefferson0.9

Suffice to say that the Nuggets struck gold with Jokic.