Denver Nuggets: Why Nikola Jokic deserves another MVP

Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic actually improved from last season

Offensively Nikola Jokic’s numbers are hard to deny when the conversation comes about MVP, but an underrated part of his game that slowly comes under the radar is his defense.

This season, Jokic has put up career highs in blocks (0.9) and steals (1.4). The improvement of his game in the paint has not only made him the offensive threat with his passing and scoring but now having a double edge sword and making the key plays on both sides has been something to not take away from Jokic’s overall best season to his career at this point.

Former Denver Nuggets assistant and current Washington Wizards head coach, Wes Unseld Jr., said that his improvement this season is noteworthy and looked to prove to critics that he’s more than an offensive weapon:

"“Biggest thing for him is he bought into [defense]. “I think he got tired of the narrative that he was a poor defender. I think teams still think they can pick on him as a weak link, and the numbers prove the other way.”"

His improvement has made Jokic a name not to ignore and media analysts alike can’t ignore that he is an MVP candidate.

Even head coach Michael Malone has put his endorsement in for the Serbian:

"“I know I’m very biased, I admit that wholeheartedly. The MVP isn’t even a competition. “There are other great players, I’m not saying there aren’t other great players, but what Nikola Jokić has done this year, with this team, with everything we’ve had to go through, is incredible. He was good last year, and he’s even better this year.”"

This season Jokic has submitted another excellent regular season and will now focus his attention on hopefully bringing the Denver Nuggets another deep playoff run.

It has been another season of greatness and possibly even one where number 15 becomes the 15th player in NBA history to win consecutive MVPs.