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Brooklyn Nets: Who Has Been the Most Valuable Player So Far?

By Tyler Dencker

Nov 29, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) reacts with teammates during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) reacts with teammates during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) dribbles the ball against Chicago Bulls center Robin Lopez (8) during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) dribbles the ball against Chicago Bulls center Robin Lopez (8) during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

The MVP: Brook Lopez

While he’s not the sexiest of picks, without Brook Lopez, the Nets are not the Nets.

Lopez has defined valuable since his rookie year, and this season has been no different. Lopez’s 19.9 points per game lead the team, which is five points higher than the next best. Simultaneously, he has led the team in blocks with 1.7 per game.

RELATED STORY: Lopez Proving Yet Again How Valuable He Can Be

Lopez may be one of the older guys on the Nets roster, but that’s not stopping him from handling the team’s biggest workload. So far, he’s averaging a team-high 29.1 minutes per game.

Most importantly, Lopez has been playing efficiently – something that is not necessarily common on this Nets team. Despite playing the most minutes, Lopez leads the team in player efficiency rating with a score of 21.3. The next best score is 20, followed by 16.4, so Lopez is the team’s most efficient player by a pretty solid margin.

If those numbers still don’t convince you, check out this tweet posted three days ago by @NBA_Math.

Unlike the Nets themselves – when Lopez takes the court, you know what you’re getting from him. He hasn’t ever been, nor will he ever be, a dazzling superstar. But that’s simply not his role. It’s not his game. And more importantly, it doesn’t mean he’s not their most valuable player.

Without Lopez, we may not know what the Nets record would be. But we do know that they would be a much different team, for the worse.

Next: Nets vs. Cavaliers Takeaways and Player Grades

So no, it’s not the sexiest pick. But so far this season, the numbers don’t lie – Lopez has been the MVP for the Nets.

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