Nikola Jokic: “We just lost in the first round. I think we are far away.”
Changes needed?
“That’s not my decision. Definitely, if we were in Serbia, we would all be fired.”
Nikola Jokić holds the NBA record for triple-doubles in a single postseason with 10 (2023).
The Nuggets host the Timberwolves in Game 1 on Saturday at 3:30 PM ET on @NBAonPrime.
This season, Nikola Jokić finished 8th in PPG, 1st in RPG, 1st in APG, 1st in EFF, 5th in TS%, and 1st in PER, AST%, OWS, BPM (all-time highest), and VORP. His team was a 3-seed despite epically bad injury luck.
He would get my MVP vote for showing he is the obvious best player.
You know what Nikola Jokić does offensively, but don’t overlook the defense.
Since 2020, no one has contested more shots in the postseason (857).
Rudy Gobert ranks 4th in that span, allowing a slightly lower FG%.
This is NOT an MVP debate. The MVP voting is silly and slanted at times. This is just an observation:
A center just finished the season as the NBA leader in assists and rebound average (1st time ever) and 7th in scoring.
A center did that.
A center.
Nikola Jokić is the first player to lead the NBA in both rebounds and assists per game in a season since 1969-70, when leaders began to be determined by per-game averages.
Wilt Chamberlain led the NBA in both categories in 1967-68, when leaders were determined by totals.
TRIPLE-DOUBLE ENCORE: Nikola Jokić has clinched a triple-double average for the 2025-26 season, joining Russell Westbrook as the only players to accomplish the feat in back-to-back seasons. The three-time Kia NBA MVP is also on pace to become the first player to lead the league in both rebounds and assists per game in the same season since the NBA began using per-game averages to determine leaders in 1969-70. Jokić and the Denver Nuggets carry a seven-game winning streak into Saturday’s matchup against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs (3pm/et, Prime).
Nikola Jokić leads the entire NBA in assists per game and rebounds per game (first player in NBA history to do both in the same season).
Jokić leads the NBA in "points plus points generated by assists" per game.
Jokić leads the NBA in box plus/minus (where he's on pace for the single-season record), DARKO DPM, PER, DRIP and the Basketball Reference MVP Tracker ("...based on a model built using previous voting results."), where his probability more than doubles second-place Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's.
Victor Wembanyama's +17.2 net rating swing is the only one in the NBA that tops Jokić's +16.6, but Jokić has played 340 more minutes than Wemby's.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama and Jokić are 1st, 2nd and 6th in total raw plus-minus, while Luka Dončić is 56th.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only player in the NBA who averages a higher game score per 100 possessions, but he's not qualified for end-of-season awards.
Already touched on some rate catch-alls, but Jokić leads the NBA in some cumulative ones, including wins over replacement player (derived from BPM) and LEBRON WAR (derived from LEBRON).
Jokić leads all four MVP candidates in 2P%, 3P%, FG%, eFG% and points added by field-goal shooting.
The Nuggets lead the NBA in non-garbage time offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) and is almost two full points clear of second place in that category. They score 15.2 more points per 100 possessions when Jokić is on the floor, which is the biggest offensive rating swing among all players with 500+ minutes and almost three full points clear of second-place LaMelo Ball.
Denver also allows fewer points per 100 possessions when Jokić is on the floor.
Jokić's offensive rating swing is bigger than Wembanyama's defensive rating swing.
Every Nuggets rotation player other than Spencer Jones has a higher eFG% when sharing the floor with Jokić than he does when playing without him.
So yes, it would be kind of crazy for this season to not finish top two in MVP voting.