Nikola Jokić might do the impossible this season—he might become the first NBA player in the modern era to do away with voter fatigue in MVP voting. The Serbian is one of the frontrunners in the KIA MVP race this season as well, which puts him in a position to become the first NBA player in the 21st century to win the league MVP award three times in a row. Even Michael Jordan wasn’t able to pull off the incredible feat, although the award is named after him.
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The Joker, however, is averaging historic numbers to warrant such an honor. He’s tallying 31.5 points, 13 rebounds, and 9.7 assists on 55.3% shooting from the floor. What’s even more impressive is that, he is leading the league in three-point shooting (47.3%) as a center. Such head-spinning stats can convince people to anoint you a Top 10 NBA player all-time.
Kevin Durant did the same recently, crowning Jokić as a member on his Top 10 list of greatest NBA players ever. This prompted Michelle Beadle to bring up the topic on Run It Back. Lou Williams admitted that he isn’t willing to entertain the argument right now, however, the three-time MVP certainly can demand a place in the conversation.
“It’s an invisible crown…this is always subjective…I can make an argument for him, a lot of people could. I don’t know if he makes my personal top 10, but he for sure is one of those guys who’s gonna make a tremendous mark on the league,” Williams said.
“Right now, I for sure got 10 guys ahead of him that I feel have put together better bodies of work,” the former Clippers star added. “So I’m not buying today.”
“I got 10 guys in front of Nikola Jokic. … It’s Shaq, MJ, Kobe, LeBron, Steph Curry…and then the OGs are gonna have something to say.”
KD considers him a top-10 NBA player of all time, but Jokic needs another ring & MVP for @TeamLou23‘s list
https://t.co/f0UJuJctwQ pic.twitter.com/VPrcD3NkAf
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 10, 2025
LouWill clarified that most players in this conversation are still stacking up accolades in the league, so their position is relative. Besides, a lot of OG superstars like Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain often get overlooked for more recent players. That’s also something to take into consideration.
Williams then started to name the players he has in his top 10 just off the top of his head. He listed Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry, before mentioning Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as major contenders for a spot as well.
The 38-year-old didn’t completely discount Jokić’s chances to make it, as the 29-year-old has a long time left in the NBA. The Denver Nuggets star’s road to greatness will probably have to be paved through more Championships. His 2023 NBA title and Finals MVP trophy puts him in the conversation of all-time greats. But there are far too many players in the NBA with a boat load of those trophies in their resume.
More league MVPs will probably not help a lot, because regular season performances are not the most valid metric to gauge all-time greatness in basketball. In any case, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has overtaken the Serbian in the KIA MVP ladder as the Canadian superstar spearheads the OKC Thunder to yet another #1 seed finish in the Western Conference.
“[If he wins another Championship and another MVP], we start having a different conversation, we start pushing some guys out,” Williams echoed a similar sentiment.
The Nuggets, currently placed fourth in the West, have not looked like a legitimate contender this season. So they will have to eye the approaching trade deadline to make sure they are utilizing their centerpiece’s fire hot form this postseason.
