Nikola Jokic pacing MVP race according to telling poll
Dec 23, 2024, 2:09 PM
Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic could join an ultra-exclusive group of four-time NBA MVP winners this season if he keeps his play up.
Jokic is one of three players who have pulled way ahead of the rest of the pack for this year’s MVP award. The race got a good judgment by ESPN’s first NBA MVP Straw Poll, which came out on Friday. In it, Jokic has a sizeable lead over familiar names Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The trio received all of the first-place votes and all but three of the second-place votes from the 100 media members polled, many of which are actual MVP voters. If the three-time MVP, Thunder guard and Bucks forward stay healthy one of the triad will be taking home this year’s award. It would take any injury to bring Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, Donovan Mitchell and Karl-Anthony Towns back into the picture, who were voted between fourth and seventh place in the straw poll.
ESPN’s first 2024-25 NBA MVP Straw Poll
Nikola Jokic: (57) 827
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: (24) 678
Giannis Antetokounmpo: (19) 643
Jayson Tatum: 267
Luka Doncic: 123
Jokic enters Monday averaging 30.9 points, 13 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while shooting 56% from the floor and a career-high shattering and league-leading 50.5% from 3-point range. Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP winner in 2019 and 2020, is leading the league with 32.7 points on more than 61% shooting from the field with 11.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.8 blocks per game. The numbers from both are crazy but SGA has led OKC to a 22-5 start while scoring 30.3 points per game.
Jokic is also leading bookmakers’ ranks, coming in between +100 and +125 to win the award depending on where you shop. Jokic is clearly the best player in the league and his season is proving that but Denver’s just ok 15-11 record could keep votes away from the Serbian at season’s end if the Nuggets keep middling.
Over the last four years, the player leading ESPN’s first MVP straw poll has not won the award at season’s end. Part of this is due to Joel Embiid’s injuries but Jokic will look to break the trend by claiming a fourth MVP. Some will say the Nuggets center was already robbed of four and should be chasing a fifth. Still, only Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have claimed the award at least four times—meaning Jokic would more or less cement himself as a top 10 player in the history of hoops.
