Nikola Jokic Wins 2024 NBA MVP, Joining Elite And Historical Company

Nikola Jokic has joined a rarefied group of NBA legends by winning his third Most Valuable Player award.

Despite his Denver Nuggets trailing 2-0 in the second round and their NBA Finals odds looking bleak, it’s still important to celebrate the regular season accolades when announced.

Jokic won yet another MVP in decisive fashion, taking home 79 of the 99 first-place votes. He finished ahead of guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic, who both had tremendous individual seasons but weren’t quite on the same level. The votes were cast shortly after the regular season and there was no debate who deserved the honor:

From start to finish, there was nobody better. Both on a per-minute and cumulative basis. Beyond just the raw counting stats, which we’ll get into, Jokic was once again the NBA’s leader in Win Shares, Box Plus-Minus (BPM), and virtually every advanced statistic – on top of missing only three games.

He played more minutes this season (2,737) than any other year of his career. Between the availability and night-to-night consistency, there isn’t a better floor-raiser in the league.

This particular award elevates him to another tier, especially when discussing his legendary status.

Jokic is now the ninth player in NBA history to win at least three MVPs in their career. He joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson on the list of 3-time MVP winners.

Having just turned 29 years old, Jokic is on pace with the basketball icons that came before him. He’s the same age Jordan was during the 1992 season, when MJ captured his third MVP trophy and was trying to lead Chicago to back-to-back championships:

With Denver (mostly) having its core solidified long-term and their front office believing in continuity, Jokic will have plenty of opportunities to compete for more MVPs.

And even if the Nuggets fall short during this run, they are still a force to be reckoned with in the West for years to come — with Jokic and his leadership being the root cause.

This MVP, coming a year after one of the most dominant playoff runs the game has ever seen, cements Jokic as a top 18-20 player of all time. He was likely already there for some, but it’s now ironclad.

It won’t be long before he’s approaching the likes of Kevin Durant and Hakeem Olajuwon on the historical pyramid.

Only in his ninth season, Jokic has built a resume that a short list of players can touch. Plus, with his playstyle not being tied to extreme athleticism, there’s plenty of reasons to believe he can perform at this level for the next six to eight years. Barring injuries — and he’s been one of the most available and durable players in the league — Jokic could have a career that resembles Tim Duncan’s by the time it’s over.

Digging into his 2024 season and why he was ultimately the pick, he just didn’t have many weaknesses. There weren’t many holes to poke in his case. After all, his co-star Jamal Murray missed over a month of action and Jokic still pushed the Nuggets to 57 wins, which was four more than last year and on par with the No. 1 seed.

Bu the crazy part is, Jokic didn’t have as stellar of a season as he did a year ago, when he probably should’ve won his third straight MVP in hindsight.

Still, he averaged 28.4 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 9.6 assists on a per-75 possession scale. Those are just preposterous numbers for a center and that’s before you get into his off-the-chart efficiency.

Jokic shot 70.2% at the rim, an absurd 61.7% in the floater range, 44% on mid-range jumpers, and 37.7% on above-the-break threes.

For context on how lethal his floater touch is: Among all players to attempt at least 300 shots from that tricky in-between range, Kawhi Leonard was second at 56.5% — Jokic was far more efficient and took 218 more shots.

Jalen Brunson, who might be the master of the floater among guards, took roughly the same number of shots (524) from that distance. But he finished at a 51.7% clip ... nearly 10 percentage points below Jokic.

There hasn’t been a seven-footer throughout history with a better scoring touch.

Jokic also posted the lowest turnover rate of his career (12.9%), more than four percentage points better than last season. He threw 708 assists to just 143 bad-pass turnovers, which almost seems like a Chris Paul or Steve Nash ratio. But that’s the beauty of being a point center — one with an exquisite eye for detail and a basketball IQ that’s unparalleled in today’s game.

The NBA has its own version of Will Hunting. That’s precisely what Jokic is. He’s an expert problem-solver that always finds a way offensively, and he combines that with an unselfish approach that teammates constantly rave about.

Between his scoring and passing, he created 50.5 points per 36 minutes of action. That’s while serving as the number one playmaking hub in the league and averaging north of 74.9 passes per game, the most in the league and far more than any point guard.

Nobody was more valuable to his team in the regular season in terms of the on-court impact. With Jokic on the floor, Denver outscored teams by 11.8 points per 100 possessions. That included a 122.4 offensive rating and 110.6 defensive rating during his minutes. For context, the league’s best offensive team this year was at 122.2 points per 100 and the best defensive team held teams to 108.4 points per 100. So, the Nuggets were on the verge of No. 1 overall performance — on both ends — when he played.

Conversely, Denver’s efficiency fell off a cliff when Jokic had to rest. Their 104.1 offensive rating with him on the bench would’ve ranked dead last in the NBA this season (Memphis was 30th at 106.8), along with their 53.5% true shooting percentage.

The Nuggets had a -8.6 net rating in the 1,200 minutes Jokic sat. It wasn’t quite as harmful as last season (-10.4), but that’s still paints the picture of how reliant they are on his halfcourt brilliance. Generating quality looks becomes a chore when he’s not out there dictating the flow, screening for his teammates, and delivering on-target passes.

There will be voices that try to downplay the significance of Jokic’s three MVP awards. Frankly, there are critics who believe he doesn’t belong in that illustrious group of three-time winners, with their primary talking point being his lone championship and Finals appearance.

It can’t be forgotten, though: The MVP is a regular season honor. And until someone clearly outshines him from October to April and lifts their team to a substantially better record, Jokic will keep adding to the trophy case.

This year’s winner was a no-brainer, as it was the previous two times.

Optimistically, Jokic is only halfway through his career. Regardless of what happens in this playoff run, he’s holding the title of ‘best player alive’ and that shouldn’t change.

For him to already be inching his way closer to the NBA’s pantheon of legends, Jokic is on a rapid trajectory. We should appreciate what we’re seeing in real time. Because this pace isn’t normal.

Then again, nothing about Jokic’s abilities or greatness feels normal when you watch him. And that’s what makes him special.