Nikola Jokic is one of the best players in the National Basketball Association. He has consistently demonstrated exceptional skills, leading the Denver Nuggets to numerous victories. Will his talent lead to a fourth MVP in the 2024/2025 season?
Early Life
Hailing from Sombor, a city in the northern part of Serbia, Jokic is the youngest of three brothers. His brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, were an inspiration to him in his basketball journey, as they both played basketball in Serbia. Jokic’s upbringing in a basketball-loving family and his dedication to the sport from a young age have undoubtedly contributed to his success in the NBA. His passion for the game and relentless work ethic could very well lead him to another MVP title in the upcoming season.
Jokic started his NBA career in the 2015/2016 season with the Denver Nuggets, a year after he was drafted.
A fun fact about Jokic is that he is an avid League of Legends player, and his favorite champion to play is Illaoi. It should not come as a surprise, as many professional athletes like to indulge in video games. For example, the Brazilian superstar Neymar is a highly related Counter Strike player.
Jokic’s Skills
One of the main attributes of Jokic is his ability to be dangerous wherever he is on the court. Over the years, he has amassed the skills of not only being a top-tier scorer but also a world-class passer. Jokic can control the tempo of the game, sometimes almost effortlessly. In other words, he makes the game look easy.
In his MVP seasons, in the 2020/2021 season, he averaged 26.4 points per game, in 2021/2022 27.1 points per game, and in the most recent 2023/2024 season 26.4 points per game. In 2022/2023, he was an MVP contender as well, with 24.5 points per game, but Joel Embiid was just slightly better.
Interestingly, in the 2022/2023 season, when Jokic did not pick the MVP trophy, his team became the national champions. The Denver Nuggets swept the Miami Heat 4-1 in the one-sided series. However, Jokic was selected as the MVP of the finals.
Among the Greats
Having won three MVP awards already, Jokic is in an exclusive club. Having already surpassed the likes of NBA greats such as Tim Duncan or Stephen Curry while still being in his best years to make a future impact. If you would like to place a bet on his next MVP, you can find your preferred betting site here at Bitedge (https://bitedge.com/crypto-sports-betting/). If Jokic manages to win a fourth MVP, it will be special.
With a fourth MVP win, Jokic could be considered alongside players like LeBron James, who is often regarded as one of the best to ever play the game. James acquired 4 MVP trophies from the years 2009 to 2013 when he was at his peak. To imagine that Jokic may pass him one day seems incredible, but it is very possible.
If Jokic were to win an MVP award next season and then another in a different season, he would have as many as another player in the greatest of all time debate, Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan has won five while playing for the Chicago Bulls, but it took him 10 years to do so, from 1988 to 1998.
The first place when it comes to MVP titles belongs to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He won the MVP award six times, however, he won his last one 44 years ago. It was a different game back then, and one could argue that it is much harder to win an MVP now, with the competition being much more fierce and the level of athleticism continually increasing.
Tough Competition
It is without a doubt that the competition is peaking in the NBA, and because of that, there are various candidates for the next MVP award. For example, the Dallas Stars’ Luka Doncic averaged a whopping 33.9 points per game in the 2023/2024 season, leading the NBA. As mentioned before, in comparison, Jokic averaged 26.4 points per game.
Of course, points are not the only thing that matters in the NBA. Another important factor is rebounds. The king of rebounds was Domantas Sabonis from the Sacramento Kings with 13.7 per game. Jokic took fourth place.
Another important category is assists. Tyrese Haliburton from the Indiana Pacers took over this category while being the only one who reached double digits with 10.9 average assists per game. With 9.8, another MVP candidate, Luka Doncic, took second with a 9.8 average. Jokic was trailing behind them in third place with a 9 assist per game average.
Perhaps Jokic’s biggest rival is the only man who was able to take an MVP from him in the past four years, Joel Embiid. In 2023/2024, Embiid had a good season when it came to average points per game with 34.7. However, he only played 39 games, which is almost only half of what Jokic and other superstars played. This is because the American had an injury. If Embiid is healthy in the upcoming season, there is no reason to doubt that he will give Jokic a run for his money.
The Serbian sensation Nikola Jokic is one of the best players to ever touch – let alone bounce – a basketball. With competition rising, winning another MVP will not be an easy task, but one that is absolutely within Jokic’s capabilities.
We can’t wait!.