Nikola Jokic has evolved into one of the most dominant players in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets this season, putting him in the MVP race. While Jokic continues to make his case for MVP, Jokic's path to success this season can partly be credited to Tom Brady.

Felipe Eichenberger, the head strength-and-conditioning coach for the Nuggets, shared that he compared Jokic's situation coming into the NBA to Brady's when he entered the NFL.

“I said, ‘Man, listen, just a reminder,’” Eichenberger said, via the Denver Post's Mike Singer. “‘A guy that can’t jump or can’t do this, they’re saying all these things about this guy, and look at where he is now, just like you.’”

When Brady attended the NFL Combine for the 2000 NFL Draft, he was a quarterback that wasn't the most athletic guy on the field. He didn't have the strongest arm and his physique has led to some people bringing up his NFL Combine photos as a joke.

As for Jokic, despite coming in as an out-of-shape Nuggets rookie, the Serbian center has spent countless hours to get in better shape. Jokic pointed out that it's been Eichenberger that has had belief in him to win the NBA's MVP award.

“To be honest, he’s saying the last three, four years, ‘Let’s do it, let’s win the MVP, let’s win a championship,’” Jokic said of Eichenberger’s Brady message. “He’s the guy who really thinks that we can do it. He just likes to see the big things happen.

Through his first 36 games this season for Denver, Jokic is tallying career-highs in points (27.1), rebounds (11), and assists (8.6) per game. Entering All-Star weekend, Jokic has solidified himself as a contender to win MVP, and his motivation has stemmed from watching Brady's journey in the NFL.