The Denver Nuggets have been slammed with the injury bug this season. MVP candidate Nikola Jokic has consistently been a reliable option not only scoring the ball but creating offense for his teammates and improving as a defensive center. The Nuggets are still a top-4 seed in the West, with the Joker almost averaging a triple-double this season and not missing a single game.
There have been some incredible stretches by some of the league’s best including Joel Embiid averaging over 30 points per game despite the injuries he has faced this season and Stephen Curry scoring 40+ points just to keep the talent depleted Golden State Warriors afloat.
Let’s look at the MVP race and how these elite players stack up against one another this season.
How Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic ranks in MVP race: #5. Chris Paul
Chris Paul has had an incredible season pulling up this rising Phoenix Suns team to almost the top seed in the West. The Suns are only two games back from the Utah Jazz and are two games ahead of the LA Clippers. After the impressive bubble showing last year, this Suns team has come out with an edge and is proving a lot of doubters wrong.
Paul’s scoring has decreased to 16 points per game, but is still averaging his usual 8.8 assists per game. It’s incredible to think that Nikola Jokic and the “Point God” have near the same number of assists per game, with Chris getting the nod with .1 assists per game more.
Paul also has a plethora of offensive help with the skilled Devin Booker and the dominant interior force of Deandre Ayton. He has raised each of their individual ceilings and has been a proven leader for this skilled young team.
Jokic’s MVP case is stronger than Paul’s, as he is nearly averaging a triple-double with 11 rebounds per game and the Nuggets are only 3.5 games back from the Suns. Jokic also has lost his All-Star teammate in Jamal Murray and has been tasked with running all of the team’s offense.
Since Murray has gone down with his strained right knee and the torn ACL in the left, the Nuggets are still streaking at 8-2. The Suns would not be in the same position if they had lost Devin Booker, even with the stellar play of Chris Paul this season.
How Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic ranks in MVP race: #4 Julius Randle
Julius Randle has been very impressive this season, the New York Knicks have made a leap and much of that can be credited to Randle’s improvement. He has improved in every aspect of his game and should be the league leader for the Most Improved Player of the Year Award when you consider where he was last year to where he is now.
Compared to Nikola Jokic, there is not much of a statistical difference between the two. Jokic does lead him in all major statistical categories. He has the nod with 26.4 points per game, 11 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game. Randle is averaging 23.9 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 6.1 assists.
Randle’s ability to create his own offense while finding good opportunities for his teammates has really unlocked his game. He has doubled his career average in assists, and he is shooting 41 percent from three on almost 6 attempts per game.
While both players are equally as important to their respective team’s offense, the overall success of the Nuggets gives an advantage to the Joker.
Randle does have the Knicks up to the 4th seed in the East and is locked in on the defensive end of the floor. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has them playing 90’s style basketball with hard-fought defense and a slow pace which makes Randle’s efficiency that much more impressive.
While it is fun to have a New York Knick in MVP contention, this is not the season Randle will win the award. The Knicks have only won 33 of their 60 games this season, and while they are still a 4 seed, the team and Randle have not been dominant enough to be deserving of MVP.
How Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic ranks in MVP race: #3 Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry is on a ridiculous tear recently. Over the last month, he has had 11 games scoring more than 32 points and five over 40. He has willed this talent-deprived Golden State Warriors team to some big wins to pursue a run at the play-in tournament. These stats are no comparison to Jokic when you think of the success the Nuggets have had even with their equal injury-plagued season.
Offensively, Curry has been on another level this season, leading the NBA in scoring with 1,588 points, good for 31.1 points per game. He has been doing this ridiculous scoring and would join the 40/50/90 club with 42.5 percent from the 3-point zone, 57 percent from the 2-point zone, and 92.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Jokic is right on his tail scoring 26.4 points per game on 41.1 percent from the 3-point zone, 60.4 percent from the 2-point zone, and 85.4 percent from the free-throw line.
This historic season from Steph Curry may be MVP worthy, however, the Warriors are the 10 seed in the West. They currently have a 29-30 record. There have only been two MVPs awarded to a player with a losing record, back in 1955 (Bob Petitt the first MVP) and 1975 when Kareem won MVP, the only MVP without a playoff appearance.
Even if Curry could get this below-average team to .500, it would not be enough to eclipse the equally impressive season of Nikola Jokic.
How Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic ranks in MVP race: #2. Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid went down with an injury that caused him to miss 20 games this season for the Philadelphia 76ers. In his 40 games played Embiid is averaging an impressive 30.1 points per game with 11.3 rebounds. However, Embiid is still averaging his normal 3.2 turnovers, which is equivalent to an equal 1:1 ratio with his assists.
Compared to the wizardry of the Joker who is averaging 26.4 points and 11 rebounds but averaging almost 9 assists per game at 8.7. Jokic has the highest win share out of the entire league at 12.9 compared to Embiid’s 7.6. He also leads Embiid and the rest of the league in VORP (value over replacement player) at 7.1. The advanced metrics are clearly pointing to the fact that Jokic has been the more complete player this season.
The MVP award normally falls to the player with the best season on a top-four team in the conference. While Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers are the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference, they only have a one-game lead on the 4th seeded Nuggets in the West. Therefore, the record argument between the two should be nonexistent. While Embiid had the strongest case against Jokic for MVP, the statistics and availability clearly show that the Joker deserves the MVP this season.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the leading candidate for MVP
Nikola Jokic has had such a statistically dominant season this year. He has been historically efficient shooting from every area on the floor. On the season he is averaging 41.1 percent from the 3-point zone, 60.4 percent from the 2-point zone, and 85.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Then consider the fact he is nearly averaging a triple-double on the season with 11 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game. We are really watching a basketball unicorn play.
The Joker is top five in assists in the league. The four players ahead of him include Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Trae Young, and Chris Paul. Three of these point guards are already no-doubt Hall of Famers, and Trae is not far behind. And then there is the 285-pound, 6-11 Nikola Jokic. He is averaging a triple-double in the month of April as he has had to take over nearly all of the offensive responsibilities of the Nuggets due to the injuries they have faced at the guard positions.
Nikola has not been out of the lineup for a single game this season. This is incredibly impressive when you consider the rushed offseason and the plethora of injuries the NBA world and the Denver Nuggets have experienced.
So many other superstars and other potential MVP candidates had injuries that caused them to miss a major chunk of this condensed season. What makes his availability even more special is the fact he also leads his team in all major statistical categories. The Joker truly does it all and is more than deserving of the 2020-2021 NBA MVP award.