Nikola Jokic is ridiculous. Yes, that’s stating the obvious, but he’s been so ridiculous that it can’t be said enough. The level of talent and athleticism in the NBA has never been higher, and yet night in and night out, the best player on the court in any Nuggets game, regardless of opponent, is the guy with the slowest sprint speed and lowest vertical jump in the building.
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Jokic needs to be seen to be believed. We’ve all heard the saying that someone is playing chess when everyone else is playing checkers, but with him, it’s actually true. Nobody sees the court the way he does. Nobody anticipates what’s going to happen or manipulates an opposing defense the way he can. A few nights ago, he dropped a 56-16-15 line on the Wolves, and it was just another day at the office.
There’s really nothing that Jokic doesn’t do extremely well. He’s even become a more-than-capable defender, one of the few knocks there’s ever been on him. His touch around the basket is unparalleled, and he’s extended his range to become an outstanding 3-point shooter. He has 16 triple-doubles in 31 games and 180 for his career, putting him just one behind the great Oscar Robertson.
With three MVPs and one ring, Jokic’s place in basketball’s all-time hierarchy is already assured, but he can still rise even higher if he can keep this up. This tweet sums up just how incredible he’s been this year:
Putting Nikola Jokic’s INSANE season in context
* Shaq’s career-high scoring average:
29.7 PPG (in 1999-2000)Nikola Jokic’s scoring average this season:
29.9 PPG* Karl Malone career-high rebounding average:
12.0 RPG (in 1987-88)Nikola Jokic’s rebounding average this… pic.twitter.com/4ftUWSpqix
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) December 28, 2025
Jokic is putting up 29.9 points per game, edging Shaq’s career-best 29.7 in 1999-2000. He’s at 12.4 rebounds, above Karl Malone’s peak 12.0 in 1987-88, and 11.1 assists, topping Jason Kidd’s 10.8 in 1998-99. His 60.4% FG matches Kareem’s best, and 44.0% from deep beats Larry Bird’s 42.7.
Obviously, the game is different now, and offensive stats are inflated from what they used to be, but it’s still insane that pretty much everything Jokic does is better than an all-time legend who excelled in that specific area. The fact that he’s also better than his peers proves that this is much more than era-specific cherry-picking.
Jokic currently leads the NBA in assists and rebounds per game. Nobody has ever done that in the same season. He’s also fifth in points per game, and unlike last year, he has the Nuggets within shouting distance of the Thunder. Denver is just 4.5 games behind OKC, and if that margin can remain reasonable, there won’t be much argument for Jokic not to win his fourth MVP.
Voter fatigue is real, and despite Jokic’s unprecedented stats last year, he never had a real chance against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Shai had never won MVP before, while Jokic had won three of the past four. Shai’s Thunder were also miles better than anyone else, finishing 16 games ahead of the next-best team in the West and 18 games ahead of Jokic’s Nuggets.
Jokic proved himself in the playoffs, though, as he helped push the eventual champs to seven games despite playing on a team with a serious talent disadvantage. That should also work in his favor when voters make their decisions this year.
Jokic is averaging more points and more assists than he did in any of his three MVP seasons, while also shooting a better percentage from 2-point range, 3-point range, and the free throw line. Only Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James have won four MVPs, but they better start making room for Jokic in the club unless something drastic happens to stop him.
