There is no doubt that Nikola Jokic is the most important player on the Denver Nuggets.
The team is currently about to enter yet another postseason despite a year that has sometimes been rockier than the Rocky Mountains.
A lot of the team’s success is because of Jokic’s ridiculous ability on the floor.
It’s hard to sum up what Jokic does for the Nuggets but one stat does a great job at coming close.
The Nuggets are +444 when Nikola Jokic is on the court this season and -250 when he is off.
The last time a team was +400 with a player on the floor and -250 when he was off was the 2002-03 Timberwolves.
That player was Kevin Garnett.
— Matt Williams (@StatsWilliams) April 8, 2022
As pointed out by Matt Williams, when Jokic is on the court for Denver this season, the Nuggets are +444.
When he is on the sidelines, the team is -250.
The last time that a team reached +400 with a player on and -250 with the same player off was when Kevin Garnett played for the 2002-03 Timberwolves.
It’s starting to look like Jokic is a once-in-a-generation athlete.
MVP Yet Again
Throughout the season, people have been debating about who will be the NBA MVP.
It’s still a close race but it looks pretty likely that Jokic will take the top honors yet again.
That’s not surprising when you look at his stat sheet.
Jokic is putting up an average of 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game.
He is a dominant force on both sides of the court and a team leader as well, commanding his teammates all over the floor, making plays, and attentively reading the opponents.
Despite his chances of winning MVP again, Jokic has his eyes on another goal: winning the NBA Finals.
Unfortunately, the Nuggets haven’t had Jamal Murray all season long and the Western Conference is stacked and tough – meaning Denver’s chances of making the Finals are slim.
With a full, healthy team, Jokic might be taking his team all the way next year.
This year, he will just have to settle on being MVP again.
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