With the 2021-22 NBA regular season in the books, center Nikola Jokic, put on a strong campaign to repeat as the league’s Most Valuable Player leading the Denver Nuggets to a fourth straight postseason birth.
All season long with it has been a battle of who could win MVP with the narrative changing month to month as names came and went from Steph Curry, DeMar DeRozan, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, and Luka Doncic to name a few at the beginning of the season to the final three players who are the leaders of the pack to likely be named the NBA’s MVP.
Contending against Jokic this year for the hardware are Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid and Milwaukee Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jokic is hoping to accomplish what Antetokounmpo did going back-to-back with the league’s highest honor.
The competition between the three is a unique race of who did more to stand out this season.
Giannis has been leading the Bucks on a strong path to maintain eastern conference supremacy while looking to repeat as champion. Embiid stayed relatively healthy and made NBA history this season becoming the fourth center in NBA history to win the scoring title and the first big man to win that title since Shaquille O’Neal in the 1999-2000 season (he also won MVP that same year.)
It is a complex conundrum of who did what, who’s team performed best, and who was the most consistent from October to April.
From various power rankings, NBA straw polls, and oddsmakers it seems until the awards are announced, Jokic is the clear favorite to repeat as Antetokounmpo did in 2019 and 2020.
This season, Nikola Jokic has elevated his game and his performance, play, and leadership has garnered respect, attention, and a vote of confidence from players past and present giving their stamp of approval on the Joker’s ballot for a second consecutive MVP.
76ers legend Julius Erving gave his stamp of approval for Jokic even though would like Embiid to win it.
"“I’m hopeful that Embiid wins it – he does talk about it and it’s something that is one of those carrots out there that he’s reaching for – but I think the most deserving guy is Jokic. “He hasn’t missed any games. Night in and night out, he’s one better than he did last year. He was MVP last year. When you get better, I don’t think you lose status. Not if it’s a fair fight. “I’m going to pull for Embiid because he’s my guy. And Antetokounmpo, who knows how he’s going to finish up? But both Embiid and Antetokounmpo have missed several weeks of play. Jokic has been out there every night.”"
Rudy Gobert, the Utah Jazz center and division rival, said that he would vote for Nikola Jokic in this year’s MVP race.
With the NBA playoffs set to begin and usher the conversation of crowning a World Champion, let’s look back at what Nikola Jokic has done this season to retain and repeat as NBA MVP.
Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic is putting up historic numbers… again
Joel Embiid may have the scoring title, but Nikola Jokic has done something no other player has accomplished in the 75-year history of the NBA. This season he logged 2,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 500 rebounds while also averaging 26.8 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 8.0 assists and shooting 58.3 percent from the field.
No other player has averaged 25-13-7 in the same season. In ranging categories from points, rebounds, field goal percentage, triple-doubles, and player efficiency he is in the top ten in every statistical category this season with numbers that are historically in the record books.
Jokic has put it all on this season with stats fanatics would enjoy and just as great as those players who were in the running for the scoring title.
For moving up in categories from the NBA and for European players it has been no secret how great of a campaign he has put on with numbers that no other center or player has compared to.
Another efficient season with marveling stats night in and night out have made Jokic the favorite to win MVP and push it over the top for him to another the hardware to his ever-growing accomplishments in the association.
Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic is carrying this short-handed squad
It is no secret that the Nuggets have battled a hard season without their two key contributors in Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray. Additionally, with the injuries they have dealt with, Nikola Jokic had to carry the team.
Despite being heavily short-handed, he kept the Denver Nuggets in playoff contention all season long.
No other Nugget on the roster has averaged over 20-points-per-game this season and Jokic had to carry a huge burden on offense.
His explosive offensive showings earned him Western Conference Player of the Month in January and March/April. One of the more memorable performances was against the Los Angeles Clippers on 19 Jan. 2022 with 49 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists in an overtime win.
What makes it even note-worthy in carrying the team is the ability to put his teammates in positions to win the game and create space on the floor. His ability when the game is on the line to make a play to his teammates compared to taking the final shot in his own hands has been a highlight of his game that players and coaches have come to see in the strength of his game.
Against the odds where the team was pressured, Jokic made diamonds.
Despite coming up short in winning the Northwest Division from the Utah Jazz and getting to move up to the fifth seed against the Dallas Mavericks, Jokic still answered the bell in a tough season and kept them in games even against loaded teams like the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat this season.
If there is one thing you can say about the Nuggets when Jokic is playing is they have a shot to compete and give teams a run for their money. Even without Murray and Porter Jr. for the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors, win or lose, the Nuggets aren’t pushovers with number 15 on the floor.
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.