The Denver Nuggets find themselves in the Western Conference Finals, and a big reason for that is the continued success of Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets big man captured two of the last three NBA MVP awards and was the runner-up to Joel Embiid in 2023. Denver has a solid supporting cast on their roster. Still, Jokic is the only superstar talent, much like the build of the Milwaukee Bucks team around Giannis Antetokounmpo when they won the NBA title in 2021.
Jokic has been challenged before about his ability to lead a team in the playoffs, but that narrative has never really held much weight if you looked into the numbers and looked at what he’s accomplished. This is one of the most unique big men that the NBA has ever seen, and he’s once again elevated his game to another level in leading Denver to the Western Conference Finals. Jokic helped the Nuggets take down the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, followed by one of the favorites to win the NBA title in Phoenix in six games. Jokic and the Nuggets will undoubtedly have their hands full with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, but it’s still difficult to see any team finding a way to slow down the Serbian superstar.
Throughout the first eleven games of the Nuggets’ playoff run, Jokic has averaged 30.7 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 9.7 assists per game. What else do you want a player to do? There will continue to be chatter about the actual importance of players putting up triple-doubles and stuffing the stat sheet, but if Denver keeps winning, those critics will get quieter and quieter.
Buy or Sell: Nikola Jokic to Win NBA Finals MVP at +240Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics is still a slight favorite over Jokic to win the NBA Finals MVP, which makes sense when you factor in that the Boston Celtics are expected to win it all. Tatum is listed at +130, while Jokic sits at +240 on the FanDuel Sportsbook to win the MVP of the NBA Finals. Even after Tatum’s electric Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers to help them advance, Jokic has been more consistent throughout the NBA postseason. With the slightly better value price that Jokic presents bettors with at +240, it’s hard not to buy into his current odds of winning NBA Finals MVP.
