Nikola Jokic's MVP Hopes May Be Slipping Away

The Denver Nuggets' three-time MVP might not be able to add onto his trophy case at the end of this season.

Mar 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Denver Nuggets' three-time MVP big man Nikola Jokic may finally be seeing his hopes die out of claiming a fourth award as the league's best for this season's efforts, despite cementing a triple-double average for a second consecutive season.

A reality check for Jokic's MVP chances stemps from ESPN's latest MVP straw poll surveying 100 media members for their top-five MVP candidates of the 2025-26 NBA season–– giving a glimpse of just how the voting could stack up for the end of the year.

The top three picks were clearly defined: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with a staggering 958 total points and 88 first-place votes, Victor Wembanyama trailed behind him with 644 points and eight votes for first place, while Jokic would be just third with 500 total points and three votes for first.

Of course, ESPN's straw poll isn't the official tally for the winner of this year's MVP. The regular season also has over a week to go before coming to a close to offer at least a slim possibility for the landscape to shift one way or another.

But, in reality, Jokic would need to pull off some improbable feat for him to uproot either of Gilgeous-Alexander or Wembanyama for a top-two spot; which comes as a brutal outcome when factoring in just how dominant the Nuggets big man has been all season when he's been healthy.

Nikola Jokic's MVP Chances Might Be Out of Reach

It's hard to imagine that even when on pace to average a near-30-point triple-double, Jokic isn't even among the top two favorites for this year's MVP voting.

In the 61 games Jokic has played this season, it's come with some of the best numbers of his historic career thus far, averaging 27.7 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 10.8 assists while shooting 57.2% from the field and 38.7% from beyond the arc.

Yet, coming up short on that MVP campaign is a testament to just how strong the league's top talent has been from start to finish of this season, especially surrounding the Nuggets in the Western Conference and the top-two seeded OKC Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

May 14, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver presents Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) the KIA NBA MVP trophy before game five against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Missing a month of time due to his hyperextended knee back in January does make for a tough blow for his overall chances of claiming the award, even while on pace to make the 65-game minimum required from the NBA's Player Participation Policy. Had he played for another 10-12 of those games, perhaps his case takes a jump because of it.

However, that time missed, combined with how strong Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama's respective individual and team campaigns have been, it leaves Jokic at number three on the MVP ladder, barring any unforeseen changes.

But on the bright side, based on how Jokic has finished out the year even after missing a month of time for an MVP-caliber campaign, it shows that he'll likely be right in the hunt to claim those same honors this time next year.

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