My NBA Awards ballot: picking every NBA award for the 2023-24 season
By Ben Handler
Most Valuable Player
And then the biggest award of them all. By now we all know the candidates and their resumes, and the big man from Denver is inevitable. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic were able to make strong pushes and have their teams primed for big playoff runs.
But the Joker is on another level. Nikola Jokic was the best player in the league from start to finish this season. He continues to dominate basketball offensively, inside and out, with and without the ball. He can beat you in every way possible and he’s happy to do whatever his team needs to win.
On top of that, he’s come a long way as a defender, becoming a credible back line big man defender, getting his hands on a lot of shots and passes, generally having great position and using his size as an advantage, and of course, completely dominating the glass.
Jokic has also become one of the best clutch players in the league, and led his team to a tie for the best record in the Western Conference despite missing Jamal Murray for more than a quarter of the season. Jokic is an absolute rock and there should be no question this award belongs to him yet again.