Nikola Jokic isn't going to win his fourth MVP award this year. Heck, the Joker might not even finish runner-up to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But, regardless of what the ballots tell us, Jokic is easily still a top-two player on the planet, the best big man alive, sorry Wemby, and quickly climbing past your favorite legends on the all-time rankings. How could a three-time MVP, a former Finals MVP, and a superstar who had already averaged nearly a 30-point triple-double last year possibly level up? Leave it to Jokic to figure out how.

The 31-year-old spent the 2025-26 season once again rewriting the record books. Jokic didn't just average a triple-double for the second straight year. He became the first player ever to lead the league in rebounds per game and assists per game, accomplishing the feat while averaging 27.7 points on 67% true shooting. That efficiency and the Joker's offensive impact continue to defy what we thought possible. Jokic shot roughly 64% inside the arc, 38% from deep, and 83% from the free-throw line. A video-game-like combination of conversion rates no high-usage player has ever achieved. He created a league-leading 56.2 points per game, 46% of Denver's output between his scoring and assists. He posted the second-highest player efficiency

rating ever recorded, falling just shy of his own record set four years ago. According to Basketball-Reference's offensive box plus-minus stat, only Steph Curry during his unanimous MVP campaign back in 2015-16 has produced a greater offensive season. Now, I know basketball's a two-way game and that defense is often undervalued in these debates. Jokic can't hide from the fact he had an underwhelming year on that end for a Nuggets team that finished with a bottom-10 D. But, what gets overlooked in criticisms of Jokic's defense is how much value his sheer size and defensive rebounding provide. There's a reason why, despite whatever defensive limitations Jokic has, he consistently dominates catch-all

advanced metrics that take both ends of the court into account. For example, he led the league in Basketball-Reference's value over replacement player metric despite missing 17 games. In fact, Jokic's 2025-26 VORP, which was only the fourth-highest mark of his career, still ranked 27th all-time. All the non-Jokic seasons in the top 40 came from players who played at least 75 games in their respective seasons. Jokic only needed 65 games. Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Jokic has always dominated the stat sheet, but what about team success and the real meaning of value? Well, it's true that Jokic's Nuggets only finished with the NBA's fifth-best record and that the Thunder and Spurs each performed better with SGA and Wemby on the court

respectively than Denver did with Jokic on. But, when it comes to comparing how teams performed with their stars on the court versus on the bench, Jokic's value once again shines through. According to Cleaning the Glass's efficiency differential tracker, Jokic's 16-plus point swing was tops in the league, the fifth straight year that he's proven most valuable in that regard. To put it in perspective, the Nuggets played like the league's second-best team this season when Jokic was on the court and a bottom-10 team when he sat. Look, Wemby could be the world's best big man as soon as next season. But, for right now, the Joker still reigns supreme. A hard lesson Jokic could teach San Antonio in the second round of this year's

playoffs. All of this leads us to an even bigger picture question. Where does Jokic rank all-time? On a per-minute basis, the stats say Jokic is the greatest regular season player ever and the second-best playoff performer behind only His Airness. Obviously, longevity matters, as does continuing to stack both individual and team awards. Right now, I think Jokic has a claim to a top-10 all-time ranking, in a secondary tier with guys like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Steph Curry. Neck and neck with players like Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal, and ahead of even Kobe Bryant, which I'm sure is going to set the comment section ablaze. Give it a couple more years at anything close to

his current level, though, and the only legends Jokic will be left chasing are Jordan and LeBron. Thanks for watching. If you liked this video and want to see more content like this, be sure to hit that subscribe button.