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Is Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic the clear path towards another MVP award?



Are we sure who has stronger MVP than Nikola Jokic this season?

After taking home the MVP title for the 2020-21 season, the Nuggets hub is even better this year, providing nightly reminders of how influential he is. His latest reminder? Double with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in a 116-105 win over the Pelicans – the Nuggets’ fourth win in a row.

In a year in which the Nuggets have languished through injury, the team remains a staple in the West’s playoff picture, sitting just two games out of the fourth seed following Friday night’s win. With starts on and off the roster – and Jamal Murray yet to adapt due to ACL rehabilitation – Jokic’s stellar play has been one of the very few stabilizing factors for Denver this season.

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To emphasize that point, the Nuggets aren’t just going into the water with Jokic in the lead, they’re rising to the top half of the Western Conference rankings.

Now, we know that Jokic is a menace to score a brace on any occasion. With his latest double at Crescent City on Friday, he ended the best month of his career with six triple triples in January alone, bringing his tally to 12 to 43 games, four games short of his 72-game total in 2020-21.

THAN: Determine the stats for Jokic, who starts All-Star in 2022

As you might expect, that puts him alongside some elite companies.

Oh, and the Nuggets have one game left this month when they head to Milwaukee to face another MVP contender Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.

Speaking of elite company, Antetokounmpo is one of 14 multiple-time MVP winners and one of only 12 to have won the award in recent years. As the season progresses, buzz surrounds Jokic possibly joining them as a consecutive MVP.

Let’s see how his case took shape.

Nikola Jokic’s number

Across 43 games, Jokic is averaging 26.2 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game while shooting 57.1% and 37.5% from three points.

The numbers match his MVP numbers for the 2020-21 season, especially when you consider the fact that he played a bit less.

Season MIN PTS FG% 3P% REB AST STL BLK
2021-22 33.2 26.2 57.1 37.5 13.8 7.7 1.4 0.7
2020-21 34.6 26.4 56.6 38.8 10.8 8.3 1.3 0.7

Nikola Jokic’s Competition for MVP

In the most recent TSN . MVP scaleJokic landed in 4th place behind Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and DeMar DeRozan.

He won’t be fourth the next time around.

With Durant sidelined indefinitely due to an MCL sprained MCL and the Bulls returning to earth, Antetokounmpo is Jokic’s top competitor alongside 76ers center Joel Embiid, who entered the MVP debate with a win. overwhelm.

Dominating like Embiid, his Sixers are just two wins above the Nuggets at this point of the season.

Will the Nuggets win enough matches for Nikola Jokic to become MVP?

Assuming the Nuggets stay somewhere between Wednesday and Friday all season, is that really good enough to take home the MVP?

History can be our guide:

Season MVP Team Record Seeds
2020-21 Nikola Jokic miner 47-25 (.653) 3rd
2019-20 Giannis Antetokounmpo Shove 56-17 (.761) Day 1
2018-19 Giannis Antetokounmpo Shove 60-22 (.732) Day 1
2017-18 James Harden Rocket 65-17 (.793) Day 1
2016-17 Russell Westbrook Thunder 47-35 (0.573) 6th

It’s been five seasons, but Westbrook has been named MVP after averaging a brace to send the Thunder to sixth seed and an NBA Playoff berth in his first season without Durant. Is Jokic’s season any different?

Based on FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR ForecastThe Nuggets are predicted to finish fourth in the West with a record of 48-34 (.585), while the 76ers are predicted to finish third in the East with a record of 50-32 (.610).

If Jokic continues his stellar play, the Nuggets could surpass those predictions, making his case take home even more powerful MVP hardware.

This year’s MVP race may be a little different from previous years, but that doesn’t make it any less fun. Joker will remain the center of all conversations.





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