Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets has a chance to win his third straight MVP award this season with a much-improved roster. In the first two years that he won the award, both were questioned because of his team’s underachieving campaigns.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe broke down the details as to how the four-time All-Star could win again.
“You don’t wanna reward a player whose roster is bad and so they sink when he’s off the floor. Last year, the year before… the on-court was elite,” Lowe said.
“I think in the past two years, when he won it with Denver a little lower in the standings and is traditional. Part of that is because, guys got hurt, guys missed 20-30 games, and if you look at the history of the MVP from that perspective, guys just don’t win unless they play 65, 70, 75 games.”
Lowe concluded his take with this:
“So it’s a strange couple of years, but those years are over, this year is now.”
The Serbian center has become the best big man in the NBA for his unique style of play. Jokic’s journey to winning the MVP in back-to-back seasons has separated him from the other players in the league. With a better supporting cast this season, the Nuggets have improved drastically, which could give him his third straight MVP win.
In the most recent MVP rankings update, Jokic has retained his top spot. He’s averaging 25.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 9.7 assists while making 61.6% of his shots and 37.5% of his three-pointers. He’s one of the favorites to win the award as he’s averaging almost a triple-double this season, leading the Nuggets to the top of the West.
The Joker and Denver will try to take on the Phoenix Suns tomorrow.
Also read: Kendrick Perkins gives Nikola Jokic a shoutout following his triple-double in battle of the No. 1 Seeds
The chemistry of Nikola Jokic to his teammates could give him his third MVP win
Winning the MVP award is one of the highlights of an NBA player’s career. If a player wins it once, it puts him in the elite category from the rest of the league. Winning it twice means the player is a generational talent. However, winning it for a third straight year could put him in a completely different class of greats.
Nikola Jokic could prove to everyone that he’s a different breed of player this season. He’s on the path to winning the MVP award for a third straight season. After the Nuggets’ win against the Lakers, the four-time All-NBA made sure to credit his teammates, despite his historic performance.
“Energy, sharing the ball, trusting each other, playing some defense and that’s it.”
“They do it for themselves. Cutting, moving… they were on the right spot and they were making shots.”
One mark of a true leader is knowing who helped get wins.
Also read: Bruce Brown believes Nikola Jokic is the league’s MVP: “Without Jok, I don’t know where we would be, to be honest”
