Nikola Jokic may be the first player in NBA history to truly escape voter fatigue and claim a 4th MVP in 2024-25. Averaging a triple double on a Denver Nuggets squad that clearly needs every last ounce of his statistical greatness is no small feat. He’s doing this while racking up heavy minutes as well, something Michael Malone is hilariously unapologetic about.
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“No man. You see his paycheck?” said Malone in response to a reporter asking him if he feels like he owes Jokic an apology for playing him more than his usual minutes. Malone’s response alludes to the fact that Jokic is set to make $51 million in 2024-25 so for him to stay out on the floor for a couple extra minutes shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.
Michael Malone said pregame and postgame that playing Nikola Jokic this many minutes won’t be sustainable. Asked Malone if he does anything to apologize for giving Jokic such little rest in a stretch of games like this.
“No, man. You see his paycheck?”
— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) November 11, 2024
These comments were all made in jest of course as the two have a great and jovial relationship with one another. Tonight’s thriller against the Dallas Mavericks saw him stay out on the floor for 38 exact minutes, which is very close to his season average of 38.1 minutes.
‘The Joker’ has never averaged more than 34.6 minutes a game in his career so the fact that he’s eclipsed this mark by a longshot this year speaks to how much Denver truly needs him out on the floor. Against the Mavs and Kyrie Irving’s incredible 43 point display that saw him shoot 17-22 from the field, Jokic’s offensive prowess was what saved the 2023 champs.
An absurd statline of 37 points, 18 rebounds, and 15 assists from Jokic paved the way to a 122-120 win. Michael Porter Jr after the game was in awe of what he had just witnessed, saying, “It’s not even like, close triple doubles. It’s not like it’s 22, 10, and 11. I mean 37, 18, and 15 is pretty crazy.”
Could Nikola Jokic win yet another MVP?
Yes. Jokic is very much in the running for Most Valuable Player honors and he very well could win the award yet again after claiming it in the 2023-24 season. He was close to 3-peating as MVP but Joel Embiid’s close win in 2023 nipped this potential historic feat in the bud.
The main reason for why the Serbian All-Star would not win MVP has nothing to do with his on-court production. It has everything to do with voter fatigue. Whether fans and analysts alike would like to admit it or not but seeing Jokic dominate year in and year out in the regular season has become the norm.
Wanting to anoint someone like Anthony Davis (current MVP ladder leader), Jayson Tatum, or Luka Doncic as the MVP feels like something new and exciting for the league. If voter fatigue didn’t exist, LeBron James would’ve had more than a ‘mere’ 4 MVPs to his name.
This isn’t to say that players aside from Jokic aren’t deserving of the award as they very much are. However, the gap between him and the rest of the NBA is the most obvious storyline in the league thus far. He’s currently averaging 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 11.7 assists a game. While the sample size is small, it’s safe to say that a top 2 seed from the Nuggets, these stats, and an overall dearth in competition could very well lead to Jokic claiming his 4th MVP. The last player to achieve this feat was none other than popular ‘GOAT’ nominee, LeBron James.
