Sir Charles in Charge
Fansided

NBA MVP Power Rankings: Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid battling for early-season dominance

By Michael Saenz

Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)
Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 8
Next
Lakers-Nuggets
Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports) /

3. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

After winning an NBA Championship last season, it would’ve been easy for the Denver Nuggets to find complacency and enter the new season on somewhat of a championship hangover. However, that hasn’t happened. It’s the same story again this season for Denver. They’re one of the most dominating teams in the league through the first month of the season. The Nuggets are 9-3, sitting atop the Western Conference standings.

Jokic has picked up where he left off last season and is completely dominating the center position in the NBA. Jokic is on pace to have the best season of his career while averaging 30 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists per game on 57 percent shooting from the field. Looking at the way the Nuggets are winning this season, you can make the argument that Denver is better this season compared to last year (due to their improved defense). And that’s scary.

There are two things we know for certain about this season. The Nuggets are going to finish close to the top of the Western Conference and Jokic is likely going to finish in the top 2 or 3 of NBA MVP voting.

Home/NBA News