Nikola Jokić erupts for a season-high 55 points in a win vs. the LA Clippers.
The 2019-20 NBA season was best described as unusual, putting it mildly. It tested everyone and everything. After abruptly coming to a temporary halt in March due to the pandemic, the season resumed in the Disney bubble and didn’t end until early October, 355 days after it began the previous October.
Nobody noticed at the time — so much was happening all at once — but there was another strange development that in hindsight seems hard to believe:
Nikola Jokić wasn’t a force to behold.
Good player? Absolutely, of course. He had a 30-20-10 game, a 22-rebound triple-double and a 47-point game. But: He didn’t start in the All-Star Game, wasn’t First Team All-NBA, averaged less than 20 points (19.9, but still), shot 31.4% on 3-pointers (he’s at 41.7% this season), and it was Jamal Murray who shone for Denver in the playoffs, dropping 50 pieces.
Oh, and this: Not only did Jokić fail to win Kia MVP (Giannis Antetokounmpo did), he finished ninth in voting.
We cite all the above to add perspective to what we’ve witnessed ever since, and even now, how the 7-foot Nuggets center has embarked on a mammoth NBA takeover:
Three Kia MVPs, two runner-up finishes, and this week sitting comfortably at No. 1 on the Kia Race to the MVP Award.
This season is falling in step with the previous five for Jokić. He’s a triple-double machine, the best passing center ever and an elite scorer and rebounder. His footwork and hands are impeccably in sync, his court vision binocular-like and his appetite for winning is strong (Denver is 9-2).
Over an eight-day stretch, Jokić had a 55-point game, a 33-15-16 game, and scored 26 points without attempting a free throw. He’s shooting 67% this season and leads the league in rebounds and assists. He also just matched Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the most points in a game. And of course, he’s averaging a triple-double.
Which is to say, 2019-20 seems so very long ago. Prehistoric, even.
It’s early in 2025-26, but the MVP Ladder is starting to wobble from the weight of Jokić’s performances.
Setting the stage this week: Speaking of weight, as if what he’s carrying this season on his back isn’t strenuous enough, Antetokounmpo (No. 3) will see a pair of ladder folk — Luka Dončić and Donovan Mitchell — when the Bucks meet the Lakers and Cavaliers in the span of three nights.
The stat to know: Jokić is shooting 101-129 on two-pointers, which is roughly 78%.
What they are saying: “He’s the most efficient basketball player I’ve ever seen … please show me who else is out there that plays like this, at this efficient level offensively.” — Nuggets coach David Adelman on Jokić.
1. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Last week’s ranking: No. 3
Season stats: 28.8 points, 13.1 rebounds, 10.9 assists
His case: It’s the overall dominance and especially the efficiency — his season to date is unmatched. Jokić is a supreme basketball being, someone who makes the amazing look routine, and once again is flexing for everyone to see.
His double-nickel masterpiece Wednesday — when he personally outscored the Clippers’ starting five on the second leg of a road back-to-back — raised a curious if not silly question: Is Jokić on the verge of a breakout season? That’s usually reserved for players in their early 20s searching for respectability, not someone with three MVPs. He might still have a high ceiling. Imagine if the last five seasons were just the appetizer for 2025-26. So scary. This will be fun to watch.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Last week’s ranking: No. 1
Season stats: 32.5 points, 6.6 assists, 1.3 steals
His case: Gilgeous-Alexander remains steady as they come, still doing work at a high level and occasionally needing only three quarters of sweat. He has rested for seven fourth quarters in 13 games, mainly because his work is done after three quarters. In those seven three-quarter games, he scored under 30 points just once.
Imagine if Gilgeous-Alexander played all 12 minutes of those missing fourth quarters … he’d probably average close to 40 ppg. Yet he’s still No. 2 in the NBA in scoring right now. One more thing: His 1.7 turnovers are comfortably low for a player who handles so much.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Last week’s ranking: No. 2
Season stats: 33.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists
His case: Don’t fault Antetokounmpo for the slippage from last week, as it is less about him and more about the intense competition on the Ladder. He remains a wrecking ball who’s among the league scoring and rebound leaders and doing it all for the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo has scored below 30 points only twice in his 10 games and below 10 rebounds only four times. Once again, he’s generating double-doubles almost nightly and doing so without a certified All-Star teammate, which means he’s seeing plenty of double teams.
4. Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers
Last week’s ranking: No. 5
Season stats: 34.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 8.9 assists
His case: It was going to happen sooner or later — Dončić would finally qualify statistically once he stopped missing games. So now that he’s healthy and — Lakers fingers crossed — back to being a fixture in the lineup, Dončić can begin a move toward generating a serious MVP debate.
He has an outside chance of averaging a triple-double this season; much depends on what he generates once LeBron James returns and takes a share of the ball-handling chores. Nonetheless, this is shaping up so far as a typical season for Dončić.
5. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Last week’s ranking: No. 4
Season stats: 26.2 points, 13 rebounds, 3.6 blocks.
His case: That was a bit of a concern, wasn’t it, when Wembanyama delivered a pair of meh performances last week. Normally, that wouldn’t penalize a player on the ladder, but these aren’t normal times; the competition is fierce.
His response was forceful: Wembanyama became the first player in NBA history with the single-game stat line of 35-plus points, 10-plus rebounds, five-plus assists, five-plus blocks and five-plus 3-pointers in a demolition of the Bulls. That outcome was secured when Wemby crossed up defenders on a pair of threes in the final minute. Then he had a 31-point triple-double against the Warriors. We should mention he’s 7-foot-4. Or maybe 7-foot-5.
The next 5:
6. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
7. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
8. Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
9. Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
10. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
And five more (listed alphabetically): Deni Avdija, Portland Trail Blazers; Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns; Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets; Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves; Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
