Is Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets on track to win unanimous NBA MVP honors?

The 2023 champions, the Denver Nuggets, have been indifferent over the past 18 months. After last year’s regular season, they failed to make it to the NBA Finals. But franchise cornerstone Nikola Jokic single-handedly broke through to his third MVP title. Even though the Nuggets struggled to start the 24-25 season, Jokic may be having his best year yet.

What’s stunning about the big Serbian’s campaign this year is the fact that the Nuggets have one of the weakest rosters in terms of depth. And squad depth was one of their main strengths just 12 months ago. And simply because most of the burden not only offensively but defensively falls on Jokic’s shoulders, his numbers have taken an astronomical leap. Joker is averaging a triple-double of 30 points in 10 games played this season. But the statistic that sets his season apart from all others is that the Nuggets have the highest offensive rating in NBA history when Jock is on the court, and the lowest offensive rating in NBA history when Jock is off it.

There has only been one unanimous MVP this season, and that was Stephen Curry in 2016. That year, the Warriors were the greatest regular-season team in NBA history, and Curry averaged 30 shots a night while shooting 45% from deep. But Jokic may not be playing for the 73-9 Dubs this season, but for a struggling Nuggets lineup that is completely transformed under the 29-year-old Serbian. While Joker’s shooting percentages will inevitably decline as the year goes on, it’s still quite astounding that he’s making 56 percent of his three-pointers while averaging 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 11.7 assists. And those numbers look even scarier when you consider that Shaquille O’Neal’s highest PPG of a season was in the 99-00 season with an average of 29.7 points. Tim Duncan’s highest scoring average was in the 02-03 season, averaging 12.9 rebounds per game, and Chris Paul’s highest scoring average was in the 07-08 season, averaging 11.6 assists. Nikola Jokic, meanwhile, beat them all in one season, all by himself.

Of course, that’s the basis for a unanimous MVP of the season, right?