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This morning, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke information that Nikola Jokic were decided on because the NBA MVP, with an authentic announcement to come back later this week. It was once Jokic’s 2d consecutive MVP award and put him in a make a selection workforce as simply the twelfth participant in league historical past to win back-to-back MVPs.
It looked to be a decent race this season with dialog centering round Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. Alternatively, Jokic has a particularly compelling narrative with a few of his key teammates lacking maximum or all the season and a ancient stat line to buoy it. You’ll be able to play “to find the eye-popping” stat with Jokic without end however listed here are a couple of that truly put the icing on his MVP cake this yr.
1. Nikola Jokic turned into simply the 3rd participant ever to reasonable 25+ issues, 10+ rebounds and seven+ assists in line with sport
Jokic joined elite corporate this season through changing into simply the 3rd participant in NBA historical past to reasonable no less than 25 issues, 10 rebounds and seven assists in line with sport in more than one seasons. The opposite two are Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson, either one of whom controlled triple-double averages for a complete season. What makes this much more exceptional is how hardly any individual else has even approached this threshold. Larry Fowl is the one different participant to have controlled a 25+ level, 10+ rebound and six+ help season, again in 1984-85. Decrease the brink to five+ assists and we nonetheless best upload DeMarcus Cousins, Elgin Baylor, Charles Barkley two Kareem Abdul-Jabbar seasons, two Wilt Chamberlain seasons and 4 Giannis Antetokounmpo seasons. Additionally, there’s the subject of potency. Jokic and Antetokounmpo are the one gamers to have ever averaged 25+ issues, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists with a real taking pictures proportion of 60 or higher.
2. Nikola Jokic produced a mean of 10.8 issues for each and every minute the ball was once in his fingers
Jokic didn’t lead the league in issues created this season (issues scored plus issues created through help) — that honor went to Trae Younger through a large margin. And even supposing you account for the truth that Younger performed about 600 extra mins than Jokic did, he doesn’t upward push to the highest of the listing — nonetheless trailing each Younger and Luka Doncic in issues created in line with 36 mins. However, accounting for the way a lot time each and every writer wanted the ball of their fingers to create the ones issues, we will be able to see what an absurd outlier Jokic is.
Jokic created 525 fewer issues than Younger this season however he had the ball in his fingers for 341 fewer mins. In keeping with-minute of ownership, Jokic created virtually two times as many issues as Younger with Giannis (who’s more and more an offensive finisher slightly than natural writer) as the one different participant even as regards to Jokic’s charge of manufacturing.
3. Nikola Jokic was once even higher than his first MVP season
That is extra of a reality than a stat, however Jokic received the MVP ultimate yr after which advanced in just about each and every primary statistical class in a season the place his absolute best, wholesome, teammate was once Aaron Gordon. Clearly, we’d be expecting his counting stats to head up in a season the place he’s wearing an excellent better offensive load however he additionally posted career-bests in rebound proportion, 2-point proportion, true taking pictures proportion and free-throw charge. He additionally scored 1.17 issues in line with ownership on post-ups, through some distance the most productive mark of his profession and the highest mark within the league of any individual who averaged no less than two post-ups in line with sport.
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