The Denver Nuggets are a real threat this season.
Not only is this the healthiest and deepest they’ve been in a very long while, but also they have a top-3 player in the league, perhaps for the first time in franchise history.
Nikola Jokic never ceases to amaze, and he’s making a strong case for being the first player to win three consecutive MVPs since the legendary Larry Bird did it in the late 80s.
As a center, Jokic is currently averaging 9.7 assists per game.
On top of that, he’s scoring 25 points with nearly 11 rebounds on insane efficiency, and he’s no longer the defensive liability he used to be a couple of years ago.
Is Nikola Jokić making the case for a third straight MVP? 🤔🃏
(via NBA Today) pic.twitter.com/tcxIMC8IxV
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 10, 2023
Jokic has been so impressive that even former NBA coach George Karl went as far as to compare him with Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal:
“I’ve been watching Jokic for six seasons now. I think the best thing I can say about him is I still have no idea how I would cover him. The two other times I’ve felt that was against Michael and Shaq,” coach Karl tweeted.
https://twitter.com/CoachKarl22/status/1612928006577876994
It seems like there’s nothing Jokic can’t do on the offensive end of the floor.
You cannot double him or collapse because he’ll always find the open man.
You cannot leave him open in the perimeter because he can pull up from three.
And you definitely don’t want to meet him at the rim because he can finish over anybody.
So, yeah, don’t sleep on the Nuggets or be surprised if Jokic takes the award home for the third year in a row.
NEXT: The Nuggets Are Proving They're The Real Deal