Nick Crain | 1/20/23

In the past two seasons, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has taken home the MVP award. He’s emerged as one of the best players in the entire NBA and has the talent and skillset to be an offensive hub despite his position. Entering the 2022-23 campaign, Jokic had the opportunity to make another run at the award for the third consecutive season. In the history of the NBA, only Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird have won the MVP award in three-straight seasons. Jokic is a unique player, and one of the best passers in the entire league. His play has allowed him to be  a triple-double machine, notching six 30-point triple-doubles this season. And when we consider this feat, he only had four last season, and one the year before. Simply put, he’s only getting better. Jokic is not just a scoring machine, but also a well developed athlete with a well-rounded game. In a vacuum, it’s impressive to see a back-to-back MVP continue to produce more than he has in previous seasons. To this point in the 2022-23 season, Jokic is averaging 25.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 9.9 assists. This is by far the closest he’s ever gotten to averaging a triple-double, which would be remarkable for a player of his size. He’s also able to stretch the floor and facilitate from anywhere, knocking down 37.2% of his triples. He’s also been as efficient as ever, converting on 62.6% of his field goal attempts this season. What’s perhaps the most impressive holistically is that Jokic has produced the highest box plus/minus in the history of the NBA at 9.23 this season. This means he is having one of the most productive seasons in league history. When he’s on the floor, the Nuggets are nearly impossible to beat. This is why Denver has the second best record in the NBA and holds the top spot in the Western Conference. Jokic has been the best player on arguably the best team in the league while averaging a triple-double. Isn’t that enough to win the MVP award yet again? Unfortunately, voter fatigue is a real thing. This is why it’s hard to even win awards in back-to-back seasons. Not only is Jokic competing against the rest of the league, but also against himself in the past two seasons. If his production is flat to down, it will be viewed negatively, whether or not that’s how it should be. This means the 7-footer has the odds stacked against him. Regardless, he’s still the betting favorite in Las Vegas to win the award as he’s continued to get better. What always gives Jokic a chance to win MVP is his durability. Every season, there’s at least one athlete who puts up the numbers to be in the conversation but they don’t play enough games. Jokic has played in at least 70 games in every season of his career and is on pace to do the same this year as he’s only missed four contests. At this point in the 2022-23 season, it’s trending towards becoming more likely that Jokic pulls off the historic accomplishment of winning three-straight MVP awards. Especially if he finishes the season with the top seed in the West, it will only help solidify his case.