Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone believes Nikola Jokic deserves to be an  MVP candidate, no matter what critics say about his game.

Before Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls, Malone addressed Jokic's MVP candidacy and took aim at the criticisms about the big man's defense. The Nuggets coach emphasized he doesn't believe The Joker is a “bad defender,” contrary to what his doubters believe.

“I don’t think Nikola Jokic is a bad defender. … If people want to nitpick, I’m sure they can say that about Nikola, but I, as a head coach and who’s worked with him for 6 years now, don’t agree with that,” Malone said of his All-Star, per Mike Singer of Denver Post.

While Nikola Jokic can do a lot of stuff in the basketball court, his speed (or lack thereof) and ability to get into defense quickly has been the main criticism of his play. Of course, his passing and scoring are spectacular, but it is also the reason why his defense has been often shown in a negative light.

For what it's worth though, Jokic's play is translating to wins for the Nuggets. After all, they are currently fifth in the West with a 25-16 record. The Serbian star is also notching a near triple-double average  of 26.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists, while shooting 56.5 percent from the field, 41.4 percent from deep and 87.2 percent from the free-throw line.

It certainly doesn't help Jokic's case that another MVP candidate in Joel Embiid has been phenomenal offensively and defensively for the Philadelphia 76ers. However, a case can be made that Nikola is impacting the Nuggets in different ways.