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Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets. Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images /

Week 4 NBA MVP Ladder: 2. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Last Week: 4th

Stats: 26.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.9 blocks, 1.7 3-pointers, 66.5 true-shooting percentage

The Denver Nuggets have played all season without Jamal Murray, they have been without Michael Porter Jr. for multiple games (and without a good MPJ all year), and they have played a difficult schedule. The result? A 9-5 record, tied for third in the West, almost entirely because of Nikola Jokic.

He is carrying the team on his back. When Jokic plays the Nuggets are a contender, and when he sits they are a lottery squad. He leads the league in almost every all-in-one metric, from BPM to VORP to win shares to EPM (Estimated Plus-Minus). Some of those metrics have him putting up historic numbers.

For example, the highest PER in NBA history for a full season is Giannis Antetokounmpo in his second MVP season with 31.9. Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Stephen Curry fill out the Top 10. This season through 13 games Nikola Jokic has a 35.5 PER.

The difference between his number and Antetokounmpo’s 2019-20 number is 3.6. That is equal to the difference between Giannis and the 61st-best season in this metric. It’s obviously a small sample size, but what Jokic is doing right now is simply incredible.