Stan Van Gundy Breaks Down Why Nikola Jokic Is the Best Player in the NBA Today Over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Joseph Galizia | 09/10/2025
Sep 29, 2025; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets player Nikola Jokic (15) takes questions during media day at Ball Arena.

Seldom in recent years has the NBA MVP race been crystal clear. There’s always more than one player with a claim to the crown, and in the 2024–25 season, it came down to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. While SGA ultimately won the award, many still have valid reasons for believing that Jokic remains the NBA’s best player.

For Shai, it was a statement campaign. He guided the Oklahoma City Thunder to their first-ever NBA championship, won the Finals MVP, and also claimed the scoring title by averaging 32 points per game in the regular season. Most importantly in the context of the MVP award, Shai and the Thunder got the better of Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs.

Even so, Stan Van Gundy believes that as good as Shai was, Jokic was better. The legendary coach-turned-commentator discussed the 2024–25 MVP race during his recent appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio.

“Well, he’s certainly the best in the game right now,” claimed Van Gundy about Jokic. “I’m not trying to disparage Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He was a very worthy MVP a year ago.”

“But the way I look at it is this: If you threw every NBA player into the draft right now, all 30 NBA franchises would make Jokic the first pick. He’s that good.”

Van Gundy then double-downed on picking the Serbian by talking about how his talents bring out the best in his teammates. “He makes the people around him so much better. You’ve seen guys like Aaron Gordon…has exploded. What can the guy not do?”

That’s certainly accurate. Jamal Murray is one of the best point guards in the league, but having Jokic to play off of undoubtedly elevates his game. The same goes for Aaron Gordon. Even Michael Porter Jr. found his rhythm as the team’s go-to three-point shooter, thanks to the Joker consistently setting him up.

But the best part about Jokic is his accountability, something Van Gundy also highlighted.

“And he’s a great competitor and team guy. Not just as a passer and things. Just watch his postgame interviews. He takes all the responsibilities if things don’t go well. He gives credit to everybody else when things do go well. Who wouldn’t want to play with Nikola Jokic.”

The Nuggets will certainly need Jokic at his MVP best this year. The West is as stacked as its ever been, especially after some big offseason moves.

Kevin Durant is now part of a very strong Houston Rockets team. The Clippers beefed themselves up with Chris Paul and Bradley Beal. The Thunder have a near-identical roster as last year, which means they are going to be causing problems. Throw in the Lakers, Warriors, Timberwolves, and Mavs, and you got a shootout in the West.

Van Gundy might be right when he calls Jokic the best player in the league. It’s hard to argue against that. But whether the big man can lead Denver back to the Finals is far from guaranteed.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Nikola Jokic Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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