Although It’s Fun To See New Award Winners, Nikola Jokic May Be Putting Together MVP Season #3

Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic is one of the most unique players to ever grace the NBA, let alone for just centers.

But, in as loaded of an MVP conversation as the NBA has seen of late, what are his chances of hoisting the award again this year?

After starting his career as a second-round draft pick, averaging 10 and 7 a game, Jokic already has a third consecutive season averaging over 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists a game.

Jokic is 6th in NBA history in career triple-doubles, and this year he is on pace to have his best year from the field, converting on 62% of his field-goal attempts.

Coming into the year, Jokic is 1 of just 8 centers to win multiple MVPs, joining Bob Pettit, Russell, Wilt, Kareem, Moses and Karl Malone, and Tim Duncan. Nikola Jokic winning the award in the 2020-21 season broke the drought left by Duncan in the 2002-03 season, showing the potential rebirth of center appreciation in the league.

So, even though his career numbers are not in the same realm as these other Hall of Famers, Jokic owes a large amount of that discrepancy to the era he plays in.

Despite having a slower start to his NBA career, Jokic has already accumulated 86 Win Shares in under 600 games, where if we use future inflation years and double his amount of games played, he’s on pace to end up in the top-8 for centers in NBA history.

Even though the NBA is not run through its big men anymore, Jokic has found himself at the helm of a successful Denver squad, because his game is not limited to just his size.

Instead, he utilizes his size for a majority of his scoring and rebounding, while having the ability to stretch the defense with his shooting abilities and passing.

But as mentioned earlier, this may be his toughest field to overcome, as the league’s other superstars have shown out so far to try and dethrone the back-to-back winner.

Whether that’s Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, or Joel Embiid, the NBA certainly would not mind allowing someone new to take the limelight from the underappreciated star of today’s game.

Regardless of how this season results for the Nuggets centerpiece, he has been worth every penny of his five-year, $148 million deal, let alone his second-round draft pick salary that brought him to the squad.