Nikola Jokic has arguably had his best NBA season ever - yet it's likely not enough to win MVP

Nikola Jokic is doing things we’ve never seen before — and yet, somehow, it still might not be enough . Despite putting together arguably the greatest statistical season in NBA history, the Denver Nuggets superstar is facing long odds in the MVP race thanks to the meteoric rise of Oklahoma City Thunder 's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander . The 25-year-old guard leads the league in scoring at 32.

7 points per game and has the Thunder firmly planted among the West’s elite . Sportsbooks like BetMGM list SGA as a -3000 favorite to win the award, leaving Jokic, a three-time MVP, with a familiar hurdle: voter fatigue. But here's the thing — statistically, Jokic is in a league of his own.



Through the 2024-25 regular season, Jokic is averaging 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.

2 assists and 1.8 steals per game. No center has ever averaged a triple-double.

And no player — ever — has ranked in the top 10 in points, rebounds, assists and steals in a single season. Jokic has done both. “Obviously, I think I’m playing the best basketball of my life,” Jokic said last month.

He’s not wrong. Per Basketball Reference, his Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 32.2 would rank second all-time — trailing only himself in 2021-22 (32.

9). By comparison, Gilgeous-Alexander’s PER (30.7) is the 24th-best in history.

.. and still pales in comparison.

Jokic's advanced metrics are so overwhelming that we had to pit them against the greatest regular seasons ever just to gain some perspective — from Wilt Chamberlain’s 50-point season to Michael Jordan’s MVP and Defensive Player of the Year campaign, from peak LeBron and Curry to Giannis and Embiid in recent memory. And guess what? Jokic holds his own against every single one of them. Take Jordan’s 1987-88 season.

He scored more and racked up steals and blocks. But Jokic nearly doubled him in rebounds and assists while producing more total offense. Curry’s 2015-16? The greatest shooting season ever, sure — but Jokic is matching his efficiency while blowing him away in every other category.

Even Chamberlain’s mythical 1961-62? When you adjust for pace, field goal percentage and usage, Jokic's efficiency arguably makes him the more impactful player. And yet, unless something dramatic happens, Jokic likely won’t win MVP. Several media members with ballots, such as FOX’s Chris Broussard and ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, have already gone on record stating their votes for Gilgeous-Alexander.

Part of that shift can be attributed to Denver finishing just fourth in the West — and the recent firing of head coach Michael Malone, which may signal disappointment despite Jokic's brilliance. Maybe it’s narrative. Maybe it’s fatigue.

Maybe voters just want to crown someone new. But if you strip the names and just go by numbers — if you forget the ballots and look at the basketball — Nikola Jokic hasn’t just had the best year of his career. He’s had one of the best years the league has ever seen.

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