The Denver Nuggets might be in for the hardest regular season fight they’ve had in years as they’re the No. 7 seed in the West with a 12-10 record. If they maintain that pace, they’ll be a Play-In team. This is despite three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic playing some of the best basketball of his career.
Jokic has put the Nuggets on his back in their last two back-to-back games, a 113-122 loss to the Washington Wizards and a 141-111 win over the Atlanta Hawks. In this 24-hour stretch, Jokic has put up 104 points (39-67, 58.2 FG%), 30 rebounds, 16 assists, and four steals. He shot 6-11 from three (54.5 3P%) and 20-26 from the free throw line (76.9 FT%).
He put up 56 points (22-38 FG), 16 rebounds, eight assists, and one steal against the Wizards before putting up 48 points (17-29 FG), 14 rebounds, and eight assists against the Hawks.
His true shooting is 66.3 TS% over this stretch, a remarkable figure. He has 10 offensive rebounds and is solidifying people’s belief in him winning his fourth MVP this season.
Jokic is averaging 32.3 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 10.2 assists on the season, easily posting the most impressive statistical line of the season. He’s on pace to become the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season, which would further solidify people’s arguments for him winning MVP this season.
His superhuman performances haven’t been enough to lead the Nuggets to wins, as the franchise is stuck in the middle of the West this season. While they have the strength to climb back up the standings with good health and star players returning to form, Jokic is doing everything to ensure the Nuggets remain contenders in the NBA.
Can Nikola Jokic Win MVP This Season?
Jokic is the favorite for MVP according to many as it’s hard to argue any other player in the NBA has been better than him. But a similar argument could have been made for Luka Doncic last season, who averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists on a 50-win team but finished third in MVP voting. Jokic won MVP despite having weaker numbers but the Nuggets were a higher seed.
This season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 29.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists on the OKC Thunder, who are the No. 1 seed in the West, while Doncic is also putting up big stats on a surging Dallas Mavericks squad who sit No. 3 in the same Conference. It’s hard to objectively move the goalposts every season when it comes to the MVP.
Jokic was given the award in 2021-22 despite being the No. 6 seed due to the magnitude of his individual performances, but he won the MVP last season for having softer numbers on what many presumed was the best team in the West. The same logic should apply to Shai this season and he should lead the MVP conversation.
Similar to Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo is putting up a historic 32.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists for the Milwaukee Bucks this season, and the two-time MVP has arguably been the best two-way player in basketball this season. He should also have a case for MVP at this point, so it’s hard to say the voters will side with Jokic even if the Nuggets can’t climb out of the Play-In Tournament.
It’ll be interesting to see how this year’s race plays out and if Jokic can become the first player since LeBron James to win four MVPs in five seasons.
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