Denver Nuggets fans finally got some good news this week. The Nuggets’ superstar center, Nikola Jokic, has officially won his third MVP award in four years. This is something that could potentially spark the team as they are looking at a two game to nothing hole in the second round against the Minnesota Timberwolves. There were plenty of deserving players for the award, but Jokic’s consistency while maintaining his status as the best center in the NBA helped him cement the award near the end. Denver may be struggling right now, but one cannot ever overlook a team that has a now three-time league MVP.
Denver Nuggets Center, Nikola Jokic, Wins Third MVP Award in Four Years
Nikola Jokic’s MVP Season
Nikola Jokic had yet another terrific campaign leading Denver to a top-three seed in the Western Conference. This year, he averaged 26.4 points, 9.0 assists, 12.4 total rebounds per game, and an effective field goal percentage of 61.2 percent. On top of this, the Joker also tallied a player efficiency rating of 31.0 which led the NBA, a true shooting percentage of 65.0 percent, a total rebounding percentage of 19.8 percent, and a box plus/minus rating of 13.2 which was also a league-best.
He also showed improvements defensively finishing with a defensive rating of 108 and 1.4 steals per game. Jokic did not miss a beat during the regular season coming off a title run and winning the NBA Finals MVP. He showcased he is still in his prime and established himself as arguably the best passer in the entire NBA. On top of this, the one-time champion also led the league in triple-doubles. Jokic even finished third in assists per game for the entire league with Luka Doncic and Tyrese Haliburton finishing ahead of him in this regard. Like it or not, Nikola Jokic is now a three-time NBA MVP and the man deserves it after the season he had with the Denver Nuggets.
Other MVP Candidates
Finishing runner up to Nikola Jokic was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic. Many feel that Gilgeous-Alexander deserved the award due to the Thunder finishing as the number one seed in the Western Conference. Not to mention, the Thunder guard also averaged 2.0 steals per game and was the league-leader in this department for much of the regular season. As for Doncic, the Mavericks finished the regular season strong and he won the scoring title tallying 33.9 points per game. Every candidate this season had great cases for winning the MVP award. However, Nikola Jokic was the clear winner at the end of the day and it is much deserved.
