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The Denver Nuggets have been decimated by injuries over the past two seasons, but have still managed to stay afloat as a playoff team in the Western Conference. The main reason that has been possible is because of the emergence of Nikola Jokic.
Jokic has quickly become the best all-around player in the NBA. There isn't anything the Nuggets center cannot do on the basketball court. In that sense, it's not surprising Denver has remained competitive despite missing key pieces such as Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. for most of the past two seasons.
Jokic has also dominated in the fantasy basketball realm, and has been the most productive player in the NBA for fantasy owners over the past two years. Heading into the 2022-23 season, it seems reasonable to expect more greatness from Jokic this upcoming season, so let's take a look at his fantasy outlook for the upcoming season and see what could be in store for the star center.
Nikola Jokic's 2022-23 fantasy basketball outlook
Last season, using ESPN's standard fantasy basketball point scoring system, Jokic tallied 4542 points for his fantasy owners, which easily was the most of any player in the league. The next closest player behind Jokic was Giannis Antetokounmpo. How many points did he have? 3761. Jokic very nearly scored 1000 more points than the next closest player in fantasy basketball last season.
Everyone uses different scoring systems in fantasy leagues, but the overarching message is simple; Jokic was the best player in fantasy basketball last season, and it wasn't particularly close. Jokic's ability to do a little bit of everything on the court has helped cement him as the de facto top overall pick in drafts this upcoming season.
Let's start with Jokic's scoring. Jokic averaged 27.1 points per game for Denver last season, which was the highest average of his career. Jokic did it by improving his efficiency from the field (58.3 percent from the field) even though his three point shooting fell over five percentage points last season (38.8 percent to 33.7 percent).
Overall, Jokic is an extremely efficient scorer from all over the floor, and there aren't many players who can slow him down in the NBA. He also is the best passing big man in the NBA, and regularly picks up double-digit assists for Denver. Jokic had 7.9 assists per game last season, and that number will likely be higher with Murray and Porter back on the court this season.
Defensively, Nikola Jokic put together the best season of his career last year. His rebound numbers soared last season, as he averaged a career high 13.8 boards per game, which was way higher than his previous high of 10.8. Jokic also averaged career highs in steals and blocks per game, adding more sources of fantasy points for a player who didn't really need them to begin with.
Right now, there isn't really a weakness in Jokic's game. He can do everything at a high rate, and while it would be nice to see his three-point shooting bounce back after a down year, that's the only complaint that can really be had for him right now.
Heading into the upcoming season, it's reasonable to expect more of the same from Jokic this season. He's been doing all of this despite being the main source of attention for opposing defenses, and his life will be made much easier now that Murray and Porter are back in the lineup.
The one main concern regarding Jokic's status is whether or not Murray and Porter will take some of Jokic's production away. Jokic has exploded over the past two seasons because the Nuggets have desperately needed him to step up. Will he shoulder the same burden for Denver if he doesn't necessarily have to?
Chances are Jokic will see a bit of a decrease in his scoring and an uptick in assists this season. It will be interesting to see if his defensive stats hold up from last season, but there's really no reason to doubt Jokic right now. He's at the peak of his powers, and no one has been able to stop him over the past two seasons.
For fantasy owners looking to get their hands on Jokic, you better hope you end up with the first overall pick of the draft, otherwise, you won't have a shot of landing Jokic. Jokic is the clear cut number one pick in every single draft this year, and unless you are playing in a joke league or one with specific drafting rules, there's really no reason for him to go past the first overall pick. Nikola Jokic is the best overall player in fantasy basketball, and if you end up with him, your team will benefit greatly.
