For much of the 2022-23 season, Denver Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic has led the way in the MVP race once again. But with the regular season coming to a close, things are heating up thanks to late pushes from Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. At this point, it seems like it will come down to Jokic or Embiid, but any of these three guys could walk away with the award.

Embiid has overtaken Jokic as the favorite to win the award for many folks, but Jokic cannot be ignored simply because he's won the award in the past two seasons. Jokic has been the driving force for the Western Conference leading Nuggets this season, and could finish the year averaging a triple-double.

All three guys have been wildly impressive for their respective teams this season, but in terms of the most impactful player in the league, it's still been Jokic for the third straight season. And while some fans may be inclined to choose Embiid or Antetokounmpo over him, it's clear that Jokic has done more than enough to walk away with the 2022-23 MVP.

Nikola Jokic should still win MVP over Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo

Jokic emerged as the most dominant all-around player in the NBA over the past two seasons, and he has continued to play at a high level this season for Denver. Some folks were concerned with how he would adapt to the returns of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., but Jokic has only managed to take his game to another level.

Jokic's per game numbers on the season have once again been superb (24.9 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 9.9 APG, 63.3 FG%, 39 3P%) and he currently leads the NBA in win shares with 14.8. Whether he's scoring the ball or getting his teammates involved, there isn't a more efficient and productive player in the league than Jokic right now.

Jokic doesn't have the pure scoring numbers that Embiid (33.3 PPG) and Antetokounmpo (31.1 PPG) possess, but he more than makes up for it with his playmaking contributions. Jokic is a better rebounder than both guys as well, and is far more efficient from the field too. If he was taking 20 shots per game, he would likely be averaging 30 points per game as well, but he doesn't really have to shoot that much to be productive.

Folks who don't want to see Jokic win will pick on his defense, but there's not much to separate his defensive impact from that of Embiid and Antetokounmpo. Jokic is averaging 1.3 steals per game and 0.6 blocks per game, and while he's not the shot blocker that Embiid is, he causes enough disruption in the paint to make his presence felt on defense.

Truth be told, many of the same complaints that folks use on Jokic exist for Embiid. Jokic gets called lazy defensively, but if you say that, you have to say Embiid is lazy defensively too. Both guys are having a lot asked of them, so they may not put together a strong possession every now and then. They are stars, but they are still human, which some people seem to forget.

Voter fatigue is a real issue when it comes to picking the winner for these awards, and Jokic having won the award in the past two seasons may actually end up working against him here. But just because Jokic has continually been great isn't a real reason to prevent him from winning the MVP award if he deserves it.

Averaging a triple-double in a season is no small feat, and Jokic is 0.1 assists per game away from doing so. Considering that Jokic is one of the best playmakers in the league at the center position as well also adds to what he has managed to accomplish this season. Aside from scoring, and maybe defense from Embiid, there just isn't an area where Jokic is being beaten by either of these guys right now.

The biggest decider here would be that Jokic is outproducing Embiid and Antetokounmpo in pretty much every per game category except for scoring, but that could easily change if Jokic opted to shoot the ball more. Could Embiid or Antetokounmpo average more rebounds per game than Jokic? Maybe, but they certainly aren't the passers that Jokic is.

Jokic has been in tightly contested MVP races before, but maybe voters will simply get tired of voting for him this season. Unfortunately, the gap between him and Embiid isn't as close as many fans want to make it out to be, and given the way he's played this season, there isn't much that has changed. Jokic is still the best player in the NBA, and despite what some fans may say, he's more than deserving of winning his third straight MVP award.