NBA MVP Mondays: Nikola Jokic's insane numbers can't be overlooked… again
01/27/2025 07:07 PM
As we approach the halfway point of the 2024-25 NBA season, it has become clear that the NBA MVP race is between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. While others like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum remain in the hunt, what Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic have done to this point warrants them being in a category of their own. In Jokic’s case, he continues to defy greatness and is setting a new standard for what it means to be the best player in the world.
How can we possibly decide between Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic right now?
On one hand, Shai has the upper hand due to the Oklahoma City Thunder owning a 37-8 record, the best in the league. He also leads the league in scoring and various 20-point and 30-point marks. However, Jokic is now averaging a triple-double after his historic week.
While Jokic and the Denver Nuggets fell 133-104 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, this defeat doesn’t overshadow what the three-time MVP achieved to make up serious ground in the NBA MVP race versus Gilgeous-Alexander.
In three games, Jokic averaged 26.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 12.7 assists while shooting 65.9 percent from the floor and 60.0 percent from three-point range. He also had 35 points, 22 rebounds, and 17 assists in a 133-123 win over the Sacramento Kings, which joins only Wilt Chamberlain from 1968 as the only other 35-20-15 game in NBA history.
At this point, does any history Jokic makes shock you? This guy constantly sets new records every single night, which is why his MVP resume grew a lot stronger. Even so, Gilgeous-Alexander still holds the top spot in the NBA MVP race, especially after a 54-point outing against the Utah Jazz.
Previous 2023-24 NBA MVP Rankings: Week 13 | Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
Previous ranking: #1
2024-25 season stats: 44 games, 32.1 points, 6.0 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 1.1 blocks, 52.8 FG%, 35.1 3P%
In three games this past week, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 40.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. Even though the Thunder dropped a game to the Dallas Mavericks, it makes no sense how he didn’t win the Western Conference Player of the Week honors.
Gilgeous-Alexander now leads the league in scoring at 32.1 points per game and he has recorded at least 30 points in 27 different games, the most out of any player in the NBA. Between leading the league in scoring and being the leader of the best team in the NBA, there really isn’t a case to be made against SGA being the MVP.
Now that Chet Holmgren is working his way back behind the scenes and set to take even more pressure off Gilgeous-Alexander’s back, this is his award to lose.
2. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets
Previous ranking: #2
2024-25 season stats: 39 games, 29.9 points, 13.1 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 1.8 steals, 56.6 FG%, 47.9 3P%
Anytime a player matches something Wilt Chamberlain did, they are doing something right. Well, we can’t count how many times Jokic has etched his name next to only Wilt’s in NBA history, as what he is doing on the court is becoming ridiculous. A 35-20-15 game is one thing, but Jokic is doing this while single-handedly putting Denver on his back and leading them to wins. NBA MVP voters may not want Jokic to win again, but there is no denying this guy, especially when he’s receiving the backing of a guy like Kevin Garnett.
“Joker is Wilt. Joker is doing Wilt [Chamberlain] like s***, bro," Garnett said recently. "No athleticism really, slow-rolling, going at his own pace. It's not a miracle, but when you watch it, it's efficient, prolific, and constant."
The Nuggets trail the Thunder by nine games in the standings, but they own the fourth-best record in the West and Jokic is now averaging a triple-double on the season. Should these two things hold up, then Jokic may very well be on his way to his fourth MVP award in the last five NBA seasons.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks
Previous ranking: #3
2024-25 season stats: 37 games, 31.4 points, 12.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.4 blocks, 60.2 FG%
Out of the rest of the pack behind Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic, Giannis is the only one who could possibly catch them.
Aside from being a two-time MVP in his own right, Antetokounmpo is right behind Gilgeous-Alexander for the league lead in scoring. Antetokounmpo has recorded 16 straight double-doubles, and eight of these performances have been 30-point double-doubles. He is third in double-doubles this season behind Domantas Sabonis and Karl-Anthony Towns, plus Giannis has the sixth-most triple-doubles.
The Milwaukee Bucks continue to move up the Eastern Conference standings, putting Antetokounmpo in a spot where he can contend for the MVP award.
4. Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics
Previous ranking: #5
2024-25 season stats: 43 games, 27.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 45.4 FG%, 35.4 3P%
Jayson Tatum has jumped Towns in the MVP rankings this week due to his performances in must-win situations for the Boston Celtics.
The only loss that the Celtics suffered this past week was to the Los Angeles Lakers, a game where the entire team struggled. Not counting this loss, Tatum averaged 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 40.6 percent from the floor.
Due to his two-way impact on one of the best teams in the league, Tatum remains firmly in the top five of the NBA MVP rankings.
5. Karl-Anthony Towns – New York Knicks
Previous ranking: #4
2024-25 season stats: 41 games, 24.9points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 54.1 FG%, 43.1 3P%
Towns has gone through a rough patch as of late. Still, despite his scoring numbers dropping, the New York Knicks big man averaged 18.7 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the floor.
It will be interesting to see how Towns handles this upcoming week since the Knicks will play the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, and Nuggets. These are three of the best teams in the league, and they offer a chance for Towns to truly make his MVP case, especially against Jokic and Denver.
Just missing the cut
6. Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs (Ranked No. 6 last week)
7. Donovan Mitchell – Cleveland Cavaliers (Ranked No. 8 last week)
8. Cade Cunningham – Detroit Pistons (Ranked No. 7 last week)
9. Kevin Durant – Phoenix Suns (Unranked last week)
10. Alperen Sengun – Houston Rockets (Ranked No. 9 last week)
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