Nikola Jokic is one of the NBA’s greatest players of all time and is widely considered to be the best player in the league today. The talent around the league is plentiful but Jokic is still thought of to be the best player, especially after he and the Denver Nuggets are the defending NBA champions.
One player that could be in the running for the best NBA player is Dallas Maverick Luka Doncic. He has made the All-NBA First Team every year of his career outside of his rookie season, in which he ran away with the Rookie of the Year award back in the 2018-19 season.
As of the time of writing this, Doncic is the leading scorer in the NBA with 33.8 points per game and has a good chance to finish the season as the leading scorer, as well. He also chips in 9.4 assists and 10.4 rebounds per game, too.
The Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets faced off against each other on Friday night in Denver, as the Nuggets beat the Mavs 125-114. Doncic had some kind words to say about Jokic after the game was over.
"“I think everybody knew him before [the MVPs and NBA Finals],” Doncic said. “He’s not really on the media stuff a lot, but all the players, all the coaches know how special he is. Everybody knows how special he is. … He’s right now, probably the best basketball player in the world.”"
Considering that Luka Doncic is also one of the best players in the world, it is very humble and generous to give all of the praise that he did to Jokic.
During the game against Denver, Luka Doncic put on a show. He had 34 points, 10 rebounds, eight rebounds, and a block. He shot a solid 11-24 from the field but an incredible 6-11 from beyond the arc. As of now, Doncic is shooting 44.6 percent from beyond the arc to start the season.
As for Nikola Jokic, he ended up with 33 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists, a steal, and a block. He shot an unbelievable 14-16 from the field and hit both of his attempts from deep. Another phenomenal night from the reigning Finals MVP.
The Dallas Mavericks are currently 5-1, making them 2nd in the Western Conference while the Denver Nuggets are 6-1, best in the Western Conference. These two teams could match up against each other in the Western Conference Finals come playoff time, seeing how both are doing so well early on in the season.
The Denver Nuggets and the Dallas Mavericks will face off again this season two more times, and when they meet again, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic will be in the midst of their own MVP-caliber seasons.