4. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
More so than the last two seasons, the Denver Nuggets have left much to be desired through the first quarter-plus of the regular season. With the way they ended last year, perhaps their uninspired start to the season shouldn't be surprising. However, with one of the most talented rosters in the league, it is at least somewhat surprising that Denver has not been better this season. And in a relatively wide-open Western Conference race, it's hard not to feel as if the Nuggets could be letting a great opportunity slip through their fingers.
Despite an up-and-down start to the season, if there is one bright spot for the Nuggets, it's the play of Nikola Jokic. Playing a huge part in the Nuggets staying afloat in the West, I'm not sure where Denver would be right now if it wasn't for Jokic. Very quietly, Jokic is on pace to have the best season of his career thus far. Averaging 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists on 56 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from 3-point range, Jokic finds himself right at the top of the race for NBA MVP.
Why Jokic's MVP bid may fall short
Even though Nikola Jokic is off to a great start to this season, I'm not so sure his NBA MVP candidacy is a sure thing. Considering that Jokic has won three of the last four NBA MVP's, there could be a level of voter fatigue that begins to catch up with him. That generally means, if there's a player who is close to having the level of impact that Jokic is having for his team, the voters will almost certainly give their vote to the player who has not won the award three times in the past four years. That's just how the league works sometimes.
If Jokic were to win the award this season, he'd become just the sixth player in NBA history to win the MVP at least four times in his career. To put that feat into perspective, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird only won the award three teams over the course of their careers. To that Jokic would cement his status as an all-time great with a fourth NBA MVP award-winning season would be an understatement. For that to happen, the Nuggets would have to pick up their win pace a bit this season.