Nikola Jokic is probably not going to win MVP this year, even though he should. The Denver Nuggets superstar has sneakily turned in one of the best seasons ever. Yet, it has gone under the radar outside the Mile High City.
The most often discussed MVP favorites have been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and Victor Wembanyama. Each of them certainly has a case to bag the award. But if the goalposts don't keep moving every year, Jokic would be the most deserving candidate.
Jokic is on pace to make history this season
Never has an NBA player led the league in average rebounds and assists during the regular season. But Jokic is on track to achieve the feat, as he has already built a massive lead over Karl-Anthony Towns in the boards department (12.9 to 11.9) and Cade Cunningham in dimes (10.8 to 9.9).
What has made it even more impressive is that the Serbian phenom has recorded 27.9 points per game, which ranks eighth in the league. No other player is in the top 10 in all three categories.
Averaging a triple-double seems to be a cakewalk for Jokic. But to put into context how difficult that achievement is, his 31 triple-doubles this year are five more than the combined TDs of Jalen Johnson and Josh Giddey, who are tied for second in the leaderboard.
If we're talking about making an impact on the floor night in and night out, Jokic has been unparalleled throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
Advanced stats should boost Jokic's case
Aside from the counting stats, some advanced stats also favor the Nuggets' cornerstone. He outpaces everyone in PER, DARKO DPM (which some NBA executives consider the best catch-all metric for impact), and NBA.com's player impact estimate.
Unfortunately, narratives might affect Jokic's pursuit of his fourth MVP trophy.
Denver's record pales in comparison to that of the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. However, significant injuries to several of the Nuggets' rotation pieces are hard to ignore. Their starters have missed a total of 126 matches, and they could have been a 60-win team if they had been healthy.
Some might contend that Jokic's lackluster defense does not make him MVP material. But why hold Doncic to a different standard in those discussions when Jokic has arguably been more impactful on that end of the floor than the Lakers' superstar?
For many reasons, Joker should be the MVP frontrunner. Sadly, the criteria for the award seem to change every year, and he could be laughably overlooked by many voters.