It hasn’t been the smoothest season for the Denver Nuggets, but Nikola Jokic is pulling his weight all the same. Based on his performance this season, fans have voted for him on the All-Star ballot more than any other player in the West. When asked by the media, Jokic admitted he was ‘surprised’ by the results so far.
Reporter: “What is your reaction to leading the entire West?”
Nikola Jokic: “Nice. Definitely, it’s surprising… thank you everyone who is voting for me.”
Nikola Jokic may not be the most charismatic star athlete but the dude knows how to take care of business and fans recognize his impact on the court. Specifically, many European fans have developed a bond with Jokic, who was born in Sombor, Serbia, and it’s probably where many of his votes are coming from.
Of course, most people just voted for him because of his status as the best big man in the game. Like it or not, Jokic has that title right now and it seems that many fans agree that he’s one of the most prominent faces of the modern NBA.
Jokic, 29, has always been one of the more humble NBA superstars. Despite being a 3x MVP and widely regarded as the best player in the world, he often shies away from the spotlight and never looks for unnecessary attention.
In this case, however, he couldn’t hold back his surprise at being the West’s top vote-getter in the Western Conference. So far, Jokic has received over 1.4 million votes which is enough for him to edge out over Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Davis.
While the vote count is still in its early stages, Jokic has a pretty substantial lead and there’s no reason why he wouldn’t continue to get a lot of votes as the season progresses. As it stands, the Joker is one of the best players in the world and one of the top MVP candidates if the Nuggets can hold up in the West.
This season, through 30 games, Jokic is averaging 31.0 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 9.7 assists per game on 55.3% shooting. He’s been the savior of the Nuggets and his play alone has been enough to keep them within the top six.
In 2023, Jokic led the Nuggets to their first NBA championship, and his legacy was immortalized forever. But ever since that miraculous run, the Nuggets have been looking to recreate that magic with mixed results so far.
This season, at 19-14, the Nuggets aren’t quite where they want to be as a unit but with Jokic healthy and playing elite basketball, they have a chance to make a lot of noise when it counts. For Jokic, it doesn’t matter if he’s the first All-Star or the last guy off the bench (like he was in the 2023 All-Star game), he’s going to play his role to perfection either way.
All that Jokic is worried about now is beating Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs tonight at Frost Bank Center (8:00 PM EST). After that, they will face the Miami Heat on Tuesday, January 7th, at 10:00 PM EST. On January 8th, the Nuggets play the Los Angeles Clippers at Ball Arena at 9:00 PM EST.
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