Nikola Jokic Trails Luka Doncic and Anthony Edwards on Surprising List

In this story:
In a recent poll conducted by ESPN, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was almost unanimously voted the NBA's best player. While this is to be expected, the poll predicted Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic and Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards could pass Jokic as the league's best player in five seasons.
For the question of who will be the NBA's best player in five years, Doncic received six votes, Edwards received three votes, and Jokic received just two votes. This is interesting, because while both Doncic and Edwards are younger than Jokic, the Nuggets star is still just 28 years old.
While not every NBA star remains dominant at age 33, Jokic plays the type of game that should age really well. Not dependent at all on athleticism, Jokic could seemingly do what he's doing right now well into his 30s. This poll seemed to primarily focus on leaps from Doncic and Edwards rather than regression from Jokic, but even with major leaps from both young stars it will be tough to catch the reigning Finals MVP.
Jokic is the consensus best player in the world right now, and has a chance to hold that title for a long time. As previously mentioned, Jokic plays the type of game that should age incredibly well, which will make him even more difficult to knock off the throne.
Related Articles
Nikola Jokic Could Pass LeBron James on Historic List Next Season
Former Nuggets Player Unleashes Controversial LeBron James Take

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.