Until now, the regular season MVP discussion has been centered between Durant and Curry, who are leading the team through a dominant season. But in an appearance in the NBA today, ESPN senior analyst Zaklow threw out a point of view. He believes that the discussion about the MVP in the regular season should not be without Nuggets star Jokic.
Zach Lowe said: "We define the MVP battle as Curry's war with Durant, which is stupid. Jokic averaged 26.5 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, 58 percent from the field and 66 percent from two-point range. Choose any advanced data you want and he's in the lead in the league. The Nuggets have a net win of 210 points when Jokic is on the floor this season and 203 points when Jokic is not on the floor. The only reason he wasn't added to the MVP discussion was the Nuggets' poor record, 14-13. The most important reason why the team can maintain a winning percentage of more than half in the absence of major generals is Jokic."
If you look at the stats alone, Jokic is the best player in the NBA. He occupies the top row in almost all the high-level stats, he can do everything on the pitch and have a huge impact on the team.
But winning is at the heart of the MVP scramble, and Jokic's Nuggets have a slightly mediocre record. Of course, this is not Jokic's problem, they have suffered serious injuries. Michael Porter Jr. is reimbursed this season, and Jamal Murray has yet to recover from a previous cruciate ligament tear. Their record may not get any better until the team gets healthier.
Unfortunately for Jokic, unless the team starts to make a wave of winning streaks, it is unlikely to be considered an MVP contender this season. At the same time, he will continue to do what he has always done on the pitch: to play as much as he can and dominate the pitch like never before.