Analysis: There are a lot of contenders in the early NBA MVP race. DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic may be having his best season yet.
It actually may not be sufficient to get the Denver Pieces’ large man a third consecutive NBA MVP.
That’s probably MVP exhaustion or the glaringly high numbers of a crowded group of early candidates, including Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
With fellow Nuggets stars Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. returning this season, Jokic doesn’t have to carry as much of the load. He has also elevated his unselfish play to a new level, which may not do him any favors in the race for MVP, but it sure does help the Nuggets.
Michael Malone, the coach, doesn’t mind at all. He’ll take the “Joker” player who is averaging a career-high 8.8 assists, 23 points, and 9.8 rebounds through the first quarter of the season.
Malone said, “I don’t worry about the MVP buzz,” as his team improved to 13-7 following Monday’s 129-113 victory over Houston, in which Jokic had 32 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists.
Nikola is going to be a contender for MVP if we keep winning because he has such a wide range of effects on the game.
Jokic scored 27.1 points, grabbed 13.8 rebounds, and had 7.9 assists during Denver’s best season ever. There was no Murray (knee) or Porter (back) for the Nuggets.
Jokic now lets the game decide which stat category he is best at. His precise passes are sometimes the way it happens. Others, with his deft touch, when shooting.
For instance: In the victory over Oklahoma City on Nov. 3, he assisted on 14 shots and took nine shots. He scored 39 points in another victory twenty days later, this time at Oklahoma City.
Jokic wants to follow in the footsteps of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird by winning the MVP award three times in a row. However, Jokic is a far cry from the odds-on favorites.
FanDuel Sportsbook says that Antetokounmpo and Doncic are both favorites at +280. Jokic is second behind Tatum, Curry, Joel Embiid, Donovan Mitchell, Ja Morant, and Kevin Durant.
During his 13-team tour, Nuggets point guard Ish Smith has a theory about why Jokic isn’t the front-runner. During that time, he met Durant and Russell Westbrook, both of whom won the league MVP.
People enjoy seeing something new.
He’s a double-cross MVP, so clearly individuals are supporting Luka, he’s playing at an undeniable level. Giannis, as well,” Smith stated. Sometimes, the latest “it,” or trend, appeals to people.
Doncic, like Jokic in the previous season, must produce significantly for the Mavericks to succeed.
Additionally, he is averaging 33.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game.
Antetokounmpo, who has been named MVP twice, is on track to score 30.9%, his highest scoring average ever.
Curry, another two-time champion, continues to shoot a whopping 52.2 percent from the floor, 44.1% from three-point range, and 91.1 percent from the free throw line. Then, at that point, there’s Tatum, who’s averaging in excess of 30 focuses a game as his Celtics have won an association-best 17 games.
Jokic, who has the most triple-doubles of any center in NBA history, plays throwback well with the Nuggets.
Smith stated, “He’s such a dominant force.”He really stands out.”
Also unassuming while the Nuggets were in San Diego for training camp, some of them went to a Dodgers-Padres game, and Smith saw a glimpse of that. Jokic was strolling around like any other baseball fan.
“The beauty of having a player with his egotism and intelligence is simply trusting him to consistently make the right play. He has done that better than most as an MVP twice.
The Nuggets reached the Western Conference Finals (inside the bubble in 2020) the previous time that Jokic, Murray, and Porter were all on the court for the playoffs.
Vlatko Cancer, a friend, and teammate stated, “I don’t want him to be at the top of his level now.”When the playoffs come around, I need him to be at the top of his game.