One thing that’s been clear since the turn of the decade is the hierarchy of the NBA’s top talent. With 3 MVP awards in the 5 years, Nikola Jokic is, without a doubt, the best player in the world. He may have missed out on an MVP last year despite putting up historic numbers, but ESPN’s Tim Legler doesn’t believe the Serbian’s MVP window is fully closed yet.
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Legs, while talking to Adam Mares on the All-NBA Podcast, insinuated that Jokic will never truly be out of MVP contention until his prime ends. While he wouldn’t put a guarantee on Jokic winning another MVP next year, Legs does believe that his skill, combined with the inevitability of his game, means that the Nuggets center will always be in contention for the award.
“Last year, he had a historically great year, and he did not win the MVP. He had one of the greatest years statistically in the history of the league, and then lost to a well-deserving guy. But I don’t think Jokic’s window is closed for MVPs,” Legler said.
The former Bulls sharpshooter also brought up the fact that the Nuggets are a better team this year, and how a top-two finish could possibly propel Jokic back to the top two in the MVP. “We didn’t view Denver as a legitimate contender, and I think that has changed. I think their off-season has made a lot of people believe that they might be, when it’s all said and done, maybe they’re the second team in the West,” he continued.
“They took OKC to seven games, maybe they’re a legitimate challenger to beat the defending champions this year. If that’s the case and he puts up the same numbers, he absolutely still is in the mix,” the analyst said. “So I don’t think the window is closed.”
Last year, the Serbian was top five in every major category in the league. He was third in points per game, third in rebounds per game, and second in assists per game. His averages of 29.6, 12.7, and 10.2 marked only the sixth time a player averaged a triple-double over the season, and the league’s first since the 2020-21 season.
Jokic knows that he has what it takes to win MVP almost every year, and Legler suggested that voter fatigue might play a factor from next season, bringing up LeBron James’ example. The Lakers star won 4 MVP awards in 5 years from 2008 to 2013, and then voters refused to even consider him in their rankings, despite his level of play only getting better.
If fatigue doesn’t strike the voters this time, Nikola Jokic might win a 4th MVP, and potentially more after that, too. All that remains to be seen is how the Nuggets perform, because you can bet that Jokic will be at his best everytime.
