Historic Night for Nikola Jokic: A New MVP Debate?

The Denver Nugget’s Nikola Jokic continues to dominate headlines with his historic performance in Friday’s 149-141 overtime win against the Suns, with the NBA’s first ever 30-point, 20-rebound and 20-assist night. It is almost impossible to find words to continue to describe Jokic’s elite play and efficiency this season, and Friday night’s performance just added to his legacy.

Jokic tallied 31 points, 22 rebounds, and a career-high 22 assists. With that, Jokic is up to 29 triple-doubles on the season and has recorded 149 throughout his career.

After this performance, Jokic is officially averaging a triple-double this season. Only two other players in NBA history have ended the season with a triple-double average: Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson. 

Jokic continues to dominate the headlines with his unbelievable play nightly, which has turned heads in the current MVP debate. More impressively, Jokic attempted only three free throws in last night’s showdown, which included overtime.

There have been several discussions among media scribes and fans involving this year’s NBA MVP race. Last night’s performance made the conversation much more interesting.

As of last week, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a clear favorite to claim his first MVP title. The Thunder have one of the best records in the NBA (52-11) and he has been the main reason behind this elite Thunder squad. Averaging 32.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game and maintaining first place in the Western Conference makes a strong case for a MVP season.

But after analyzing Jokic’s statistics and his team’s current record and placement in the Western Conference standings (third place and a 41-22 record), it’s hard to imagine how Jokic will not win the MVP award this season.

Jokic’s Gaudy Numbers

1st in efficiency (32.5 rating)
3rd in points per game (28.9)
3rd in rebounds per game (12.9)
2nd in assists per game (10.6)
Tied for second in steals per game (1.8)
Tied for 5th in 3 point % (44%)

He is putting together one of the most impressive seasons in NBA history, and it will be hard to ignore his production when it comes to eligible voters submitting an MVP vote this year.

What makes the MVP race more interesting is the current NBA schedule. The Thunder and the Nuggets have two meetings back-to-back on March 9 and10, and it’s hard to envision how these two games will not drastically sway the opinions of MVP voting.

This two-game series will surely be the deciding factor on who will become the 2024-2025 MVP winner, as all of the media attention and voters will closely pay attention to these games.

NBA fans should realize how special Jokic is on a nightly, basis as we are witnessing the play of one of the best centers to ever play the game. Enjoy it while it lasts.

If he continues on his torrid pace, we have just witnessed one of the greatest, if not the greatest, individual season in NBA history.