ESPN expert says his view of Denver Nuggets as legitimate title contender has changed, comments on Nikola Jokic

Jokic’s MVP window will remain open in the 2025-26 season

The Nuggets are one of the teams that have made massive improvements in the 2025 offseason. They parted ways with Michael Porter Jr. in a trade for Cameron Johnson. That is a decent move, as they have similar skill sets, but Johnson is a bit more reliable than Porter.

Jokic will also have a more reliable backup center in Jonas Valanciunas. That would mean Jokic will be fresher throughout the season, as he has a teammate who can reliably give him some rest and is a perfect fit in the system.

With the overall quality of the Nuggets roster, they have become one of the biggest threats to the OKC Thunder’s title defense. Jokic and the team had already forced a do-or-die Game 7 in the 2025 Western Conference Semifinals, making them a tough test for the defending champions.

Legler certainly thinks that the Nuggets’ improvements mean that Jokic can still compete for the MVP and swing the title race in the Nuggets’ favor.

“He had one of the greatest years statistically in the history of the league I then lost to a well-deserving guy. I don’t think Jokic’s window is closed for MVPs,” Legler said on the ALL NBA Podcast.

“We didn’t view Denver as a legitimate contender, and I think that has changed. I think their off-season has made a lot of people believe that they might be, when it’s all said and done, maybe they’re the second team in the West.”

The 2025-26 MVP race will be extremely competitive

Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander are the two favorites to win the MVP in the 2025-26 season. However, they are not alone with potential shots at winning the award. The biggest contender outside the duo is Luka Doncic, who is set for a massive campaign for the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the Eastern Conference, there are also candidates like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Donovan Mitchell, and Jalen Brunson. The NBA is stacked with talented players, and the MVP race is a good glimpse into the top end of that group.

Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander will probably be the best two candidates, considering they are projected as the top teams for the 2025-26 season. They were already the top two candidates over the past two seasons, so they could compete for it again.

For Legler, he feels Jokic has the opportunity to do it again. However, it will fully depend on how well they perform across the regular season. If Jokic leads his Nuggets team to another strong season, they could win for the fourth time.