NBA Player Rankings Week 4: The top 10 NBA players so far
By Jack Simone
NBA player rankings week 4: 3. Nikola Jokic
The Denver Nuggets are in a similar spot as the Clippers. One of their key stars, Jamal Murray, is out, and the other, Nikola Jokic, has been forced to step up even more.
Team success: The Nuggets are 7-4 on the season, which is tied for third in the West. Surprisingly, though, they aren’t doing it byways of their offense.
Instead, Denver has been one of the top defensive teams in the league, led by Jokic and Aaron Gordon. Both have been crucial in establishing an elite defensive presence.
Player stats: Jokic is averaging 25.4 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. He’s also shooting an insane 60.9 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from deep.
No player in NBA history has ever shot over 60% from the field and over 40% from deep in a single season. He is quite literally putting up historic numbers this season.
Reason for rank: This is a side of Jokic that, somehow, the league hasn’t seen before. He’s no longer a pushover in the post, but instead, a defensive force down low.
His offensive numbers haven’t suffered, either. He’ll be a top candidate for MVP this year, and he’s currently a top-three player in the NBA.