Nikola Jokic candidly weighs in on MVP race with SGA after win over Thunder

On Sunday, the Thunder pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Nuggets by 24 behind 40 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the MVP Award was his to lose. Then on Monday, the Nuggets got revenge, beating the Thunder by 13 on 31 points, 18 rebounds, and 8 assists from Nikola Jokic and suddenly he was right back in the MVP conversation.

Thus is NBA MVP discourse in the age we live in. It’s a constant back and forth and a daily argument based on narratives, storylines, and legacies that can turn toxic far too easily. For his part, Jokic has been extremely humble about it over the years, but obviously, when you’ve won the award three times, it’s hard to ignore.

Given the back-to-back miniseries between the clear top two candidates to take home the award, this season, of course, it has been a major talking point over the past few days. Sure enough, Jokic was asked about this year’s MVP race and his answer was honest and insightful.

Jokic thinks he’s playing best basketball of his life

“This is my third or fourth year in a row so…I’m really…I can’t control it…I will say I think I’m playing the best basketball of my life so if that’s enough it’s enough. If not, the guy deserves it. He’s really amazing.”

For Jokic, this is a thoughtful and sincere response. He took the time to address it without making a joke and even acknowledged how well he is playing. This is about the closest Jokic is ever likely to come to campaigning for himself, but it’s an interesting thought.

It’s wild for a player who has won three MVP Awards and a Finals MVP to say that they are playing the best basketball of their career, but it’s hard to argue. Jokic’s stats are at career-high levels almost across the board and by all advanced metrics he is having the best season of his illustrious career.

Due to injuries and poor roster moves, Jokic is also forced to do more than ever for the Nuggets and the team’s success hinges on his performance in a way that doesn’t even feel sustainable. And yet, he has the Nuggets at 42-23, in second place in the Western Conference, and primed to make another deep playoff run despite having no other All-Star on the team.

This all begs the question, if Jokic is the best player in the world, and he’s having the best season of his career and playing the best basketball of his life, how can he not be the MVP? No disrespect to SGA, but it feels like Jokic is being punished for some kind of legacy tax.

Jokic is being held to a much higher standard because he has already won three times. That’s just the reality of the situation, and something Nuggets fans have known all along. It’s the price you pay for this level of greatness and if he loses out on MVP this season, so be it.