Gilbert Arenas isn’t known for having the most realistic takes, but the three-time All-Star nailed his prediction regarding Nikola Jokic’s historic performance on Friday. Gil may as well have had a crystal ball in front of him, as he almost exactly predicted the Nuggets star’s stat line two days before the game ever took place.
Advertisement
Arenas expressed his belief that Jokic would put together a dominant performance that would place him right back in the lead of the MVP race. “I’mma tell you this right now. That motherf***** over down there in Denver, there’s gonna be a game where there’s gonna be a ‘F*** you, this is my trophy.”
“There’s gonna be a 40/20/15. 1000%. 42/20/20,” is what Gil had to say about Jokic in that same prediction of his. Quite the incredible call from him considering the fact that he did Arenas a solid and put up a 30-20-20 statline about 48 hours later.
The former Washington Wizard stressed how easily the Joker can become a scorer if he wants to. Gil explained how his offensive game is equipped just like his biggest threat in the race, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is. Jokic could score 50 points in any particular game, but the Nuggets don’t rely on the big man’s scoring as consistently as OKC relies on SGA’s.
Gil predicted Jokic’s HUGE triple double https://t.co/VlKoscNsLd pic.twitter.com/F7oR9eKxB6
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) March 8, 2025
As we saw in his 31-point, 21-rebound, 22-assist masterclass against Phoenix, Denver needs much more from their star than scoring. Jokic does everything on the court for the Nuggets, even in games where he isn’t scoring 30-plus points.
But Arenas knows that even when the three-time MVP isn’t putting up gaudy scoring numbers, there still isn’t a player in the league who can consistently lock him up. “Who the f*** is stopping [Jokic]? Who’s even equipped to stop him?” Arenas continued. “There’s nobody who can actually guard him if he wants to score the whole time.”
Jokic’s captivating display may give him the edge in the current MVP standings. But the battle for MVP remains a back-and-forth affair between the Joker and SGA.
The NBA MVP battle appears to be a two-man race
As other stars have come and left the Kia MVP Ladder, Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander have only continued to distance themselves from the competition. Both stars have traded blows with electrifying performances in recent weeks, making it difficult to name either as the frontrunner.
SGA’s biggest claim to the award, besides his league-leading scoring average, is his team’s success this season. The Thunder are once again on pace to win the Western Conference backed by a treasure trove of young talent. But Jokic’s ability to do it all for the third-place Nuggets makes the team’s difference in record a moot point.
With only a few weeks remaining, it appears to be a certainty that one of these two superstars will be walking away with the MVP award. Considering Jokic is already a three-time winner, voter fatigue may work in Shai’s favor, despite the Joker’s continued dominance.
