Editor’s note: The NBA MVP award is voted on by 100 members of the media, chosen by the league. Voting takes place before the postseason. USA TODAY Sports reporter Jeff Zillgitt has a vote.
Nikola Jokic did it again.
Just when you think the Denver Nuggets All-Star center couldn’t possibly be better than the season before – a 2023-24 season in which he was named MVP – Jokic assembled an even better season.
Jokic, who has won three of the past four MVPs, is a finalist for the award again for the 2024-25 season after averaging 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists and 1.8 steals and shooting 57.6% from the field, 41.7% on 3-pointers and 80% on free throws.
It was a career-high for him in points per game, assists and 3-point shooting percentage, and he become just the third player to average a triple-double for a season, joining Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook. And he did it with masterful efficiency.
He was also the first player to finish a season in the top three in scoring, rebounding and assists per game and helped the Nuggets to a 50-win season and the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.
It’s hard to look at Jokic’s production and not think he had the best season. He is an offensive jedi who dominates with his scoring, passing and rebounding, and few players in NBA history have seen the offensive end of the court the way Jokic does.
If he wins MVP this year, he would become just the third player to win four MVPs in five seasons – along with LeBron James and Bill Russell.
Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo are the other two finalists, and it’s widely considered a two-player race between Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic with Gilgeous-Alexander the slight favorite.
This season, Jokic had a 60-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist performance against Minnesota, generating the third 60-point triple-double in NBA history, and became the first player to have a 30-20-20 triple-double when he recorded 31 points, 22 assists and 21 rebounds against Phoenix.
He led the league in triple-doubles (34) and was No. 1 in performance efficiency rating (PER) – a measurement of the good and bad a player does on the court – with a rating of 32.12, which is the second-highest of his career.
There are no bonus points or extra credit in this MVP competition, but Jokic accomplished all that with a dysfunctional relationship between ex-head coach Michael Malone and ex-GM Calvin Booth over roster construction and playing time.
Whether it’s voter fatigue or voters trying to reward other players – or a combination of both – Jokic is not the favorite to win the award. Between Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander, there is no wrong answer for MVP, and if Jokic doesn’t win, he has entered the conversation among the game’s all-time greats.
The NBA MVP award winner will be announced Wednesday night before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals (7 ET, TNT).
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nikola Jokic clear NBA MVP winner. Making his case
