There has been a lot of chatter with regards to this year's NBA MVP race. For a good chunk of the season, several players took their respective turns atop the MVP ladder. Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid is having an MVP-caliber season. Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has been on a massive tear as of late and has certainly inserted himself into the conversation. Phoenix Suns star Chris Paul has been getting some late-season love for his efforts in leading his squad near the top of the league standings.
With the regular season winding down to its final week, however, only one stands as the rightful MVP. Hands down, he should win the Maurice Podoloff Trophy when the smoke clears. The 2020-21 NBA MVP belongs to Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic.
The names aforementioned at the top of this article certainly have their respective cases. At 36 years old, CP3 has done a marvelous job helping turn the Suns from a fringe playoff team to one of the top teams in the NBA. However, his numbers — 16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 8.9 assists — don't really stand much of a chance to Jokic's insane season-long production of 26.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.4 assists.
Meanwhile, Joel Embiid is having a dominant year for the Sixers. His numbers also back up a strong claim for MVP. However, the Cameroonian has simply missed too many games despite keeping the same MVP-level production even when he came back, and this is going to cost him winning the MVP.
Stephen Curry has made a ton of MVP noise since April, and his insane carry-job of the Warriors is definitely worth the recognition. However, Golden State is just too low in the standings for Curry to have any realistic chance of lifting his third Maurice Podoloff Trophy, even despite his Herculean efforts for the Dubs throughout the season.
These three stars, as well some others who made some noise throughout the course of the season, are definitely worthy of being in the conversation. However, as laid out above, Nikola Jokic just edges all of them in some way or form, whether it be numbers, games played, or overall team success.
Jokic has been nothing short of spectacular for the Nuggets the entire season. After reaching the Western Conference Finals last year, Denver struggled out of the gates to begin its 72-game 2020-21 campaign. They were 17-15 midway through the season and have since been 27-9 from that point.
Their early-season struggles certainly weren't because of Jokic, as he has been playing at an MVP level from the get-go. In previous seasons, the three-time All-Star has somewhat been a slow starter and would usually build his rhythm as the season progressed. But that wasn't the case this year, as his foot has been on the gas pedal since Day 1.
Despite Nikola Jokic's strong start, Jamal Murray was not playing up to the standards that he showcased in their 2020 postseason run. The Canadian guard's rather underwhelming play to begin the season kept them from taking off to the top of the West. Without Jokic's efforts, Denver would have likely found itself lower in the West standings to begin their campaign.
The Nuggets eventually found their mojo midway through the season anchored by the Jokic-centered Denver offense. The Nuggets certainly looked like a legitimate threat for this year's NBA championship, and the acquisition of Aaron Gordon at the trade deadline made them even more serious contenders. However, the unfortunate injury to Jamal Murray, who suffered a torn left ACL a month ago, has dampened their chances of going all the way to the top.
When Murray went down, many believed the Nuggets' hopes of winning the title this season went out of the window. Likewise, some thought Jokic's chances of winning MVP would dwindle the same way the Nuggets would descend in the West standings with The Joker no longer having his partner-in-crime by his side.
However, Murray's injury has actually solidified Nikola Jokic's MVP claim even further. Since Murray's season-ending injury on April 12, the Nuggets have gone 11-4, which includes a stretch where they won nine out of 10. The 26-year-old has elevated his game even further over this past month. In Denver's last 15 contests, the Serbian big man is averaging 27.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 7.1 assists while shooting 56.0 percent from the field.
More importantly, Jokic has also elevated his teammates' play. Others have stepped up in Murray's absence, particularly sophomore star Michael Porter Jr., who is thriving as the No. 2 option for Denver.
At the time Murray went down, the Nuggets were in danger of falling off the top-four pace and losing home-court advantage in the first round But led by Jokic's brilliance night in and night out, Denver still has a shot of finishing with the No. 3 seed seed in the West.
It still seems like a long shot for Denver to win the 2021 NBA title this season, especially without Murray, who absolutely balled out of his mind in their latest playoff run. However, it's still going to be hard to count them out completely with Jokic playing at the highest of levels.
So, can we just stop pretending? Nikola Jokic is the 2020-21 NBA MVP.
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