Nikola Jokic rarely seems uncomfortable on a basketball court, yet the annual discussion surrounding the league`s Most Valuable Player award is a notable exception. He visibly reacts when the topic comes up, quickly diverting questions about the accolade just as he might redirect a quick pass during a game. Over the past seven seasons, Jokic has consistently finished in the top five of the MVP voting, winning the award three times. However, this year, he did something unexpected: he actually voiced a case for himself.
“I think I`m playing the best basketball of my life. So if that`s enough, it`s enough,” Jokic commented on March 10, following the Denver Nuggets` victory over his main rival for the award this year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. “If not, [Gilgeous-Alexander] deserves it. He`s really amazing.”
Significantly, in this statement, Jokic did not express a personal desire to win what would be his fourth MVP trophy, which would place him alongside LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain. He also did not mention what achieving this milestone might mean to him personally.
Jokic`s point was straightforward: he believes he performed better this season than in any of his previous MVP campaigns. Based on this premise, if his current level of play is acknowledged as superior, he logically presents himself as the deserving winner once more.
Statistical evidence largely supports his claim. Beyond averaging a triple-double for the season and leading the league in that category with 33 instances, Jokic ranked among the top three players in scoring, rebounds, assists, and steals. He also demonstrated impressive efficiency, ranking among the top 20 in three-point percentage. This performance continued to redefine NBA statistical benchmarks.
However, this season features a crucial difference from his prior MVP years, creating a significant challenge to what might otherwise seem like an undeniable case.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a historical season of his own. He led the league in scoring while simultaneously playing All-NBA caliber defense. More remarkably, he guided the league`s youngest team to an impressive 68 wins, achieving the largest average margin of victory in NBA history, surpassing a record held by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.
This sets up a classic MVP debate: is the award for the best player on the league`s best team, or for the player having the most statistically outstanding individual season?
The only time this discussion truly took center stage or showed any signs of contention was when the Nuggets and Thunder faced each other in back-to-back games in March.
Gilgeous-Alexander emphasized his perspective after his team`s win on March 9, stating, “I love MVPs, I love All-Stars, I love all the accolades that come with it, but none of it matters if you don`t win.” He backed this up with a stellar performance.
Jokic countered the following night in a less nationally broadcast game, making his case with a dominant statistical effort in the Nuggets` victory.
For a brief period, sports media debated intensely, teammates on both sides publicly supported their star, and voters had about a month to finalize their ballots. Since that time, both players have been vocal in complimenting each other on their exceptional seasons.
Yet, the MVP debate has now largely faded, overshadowed by the escalating drama of the NBA playoffs.
The upcoming second-round matchup between the Thunder and the Nuggets will inevitably bring the MVP storyline back into focus. The award announcement is expected to happen during this round via a live TNT broadcast.
This means Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic (along with other finalists like Giannis Antetokounmpo) will be asked to participate in a live reveal of basketball`s most significant individual award at a time when their focus is entirely dedicated to their teams` collective success in the playoffs.
“It is the last thing on both of our minds,” Jokic stated recently after his team advanced through their first-round series.
MVP votes were cast long ago. Furthermore, winning the MVP award hasn`t correlated with winning an NBA championship since Stephen Curry achieved it in 2015. In fact, none of the past nine MVP winners have managed to advance beyond the conference finals.
However, when asked specifically about Gilgeous-Alexander as a player, Jokic was much more inclined to share his thoughts.
“He`s a very different player,” Jokic observed. “He`s playing on so many levels – speed, as a scorer. Everything looks so easy for him. Even when you are like, `Oh, that`s a good defense.` It feels so easy for him and he`s amazing with a change of speed, change of rhythm, ballhandling. He can post up guys, he can go by guys, his shooting at the midrange is unguardable basically. He`s a very special player.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has approached the MVP spotlight somewhat differently, acknowledging that winning the award would mean a lot to him personally. However, he consistently reinforces that his primary and overriding goal is the success of the Thunder team.
This has left the task of publicly advocating for the award often to surrogates. While a former coach historically filled this role for Jokic, this season, Nuggets player Christian Braun has taken up the mantle.
“I think that Nikola had maybe the greatest season ever,” Braun remarked recently. “I don`t know if you`ll ever see a player do what he did ever again in one singular regular season. They were both great. The Thunder are an amazing team, Shai`s an amazing player. So there isn`t any wrong choice. But to see what Nikola did night in and night out, I don`t know that you`ll ever see that again.”
A tweet from Thunder center Chet Holmgren back in December humorously campaigned, “Lu Dort for DPOY and Shai for MVP or we riot.”
This dynamic creates an intriguing subplot that both main players are expected to actively try to ignore as they compete head-to-head.
When asked if he thought Jokic cared about winning the MVP, Christian Braun confidently stated, “I know for a fact he doesn`t.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault echoed this sentiment, adding, “I know Shai a lot better than I know Jokic, but I think I know enough to know that neither one of them are going to get distracted by that. Both of them are going to be fully invested in the series. It`s a supplement to the series, but it`s really, it`s not part of the series at all.”