Hall of Fame Coach Sets the Record Straight About Nikola Jokic’s MVP Standing

For the unversed, Karl, who was the NBA Coach of the Year in 2013, has won 1,175 games across 27 seasons in the league and coached Denver from 2005 to 2013. He has been a vocal advocate for Jokic long before the MVP hardware started piling up. He's placed the Serbian big man in his top five all-time and has publicly clashed with other analysts about Jokic's value.

Nikola Jokic's Performance Backs Up George Karl's Bold Claim

Karl isn't wrong about the numbers. Since the 2020-21 season, no player has been more consistently excellent than Jokic. He won the award that year, won it again in 2021-22, finished second to Joel Embiid in 2022-23, reclaimed it in 2023-24 and once again stood next to Gilgeous-Alexander last year.

That's three MVPs and two runner-up finishes in five seasons. The only players to match that kind of top-two streak are Bill Russell and Larry Bird, both of whom did it across six consecutive seasons.

Jokic's current campaign looks like another masterpiece on paper. He's averaging a triple-double, leads the league in both rebounds and assists, and continues to post the kind of efficiency numbers that don't seem possible for someone with his usage rate. When he's on the floor, the Nuggets' net rating swings by more than 20 points per 100 possessions.

Notably, this is not the first time Karl has taken such a strong stance in support of Jokic. Last May, when Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP over Jokic, Karl took a shot at fired Nuggets coach Mike Malone, who had publicly endorsed SGA for the award. "Jokic was the MVP again this season and it wasn't that close," Karl wrote. "But I guess I'm the only former Nuggets coach who knows that."

What Has Shifted the Narrative in MVP Conversation?

Part of it is team success. The Thunder own the Western Conference's best record, and the Spurs have surged to second behind Wembanyama's historic play. Denver has slipped in the standings. Jokic also missed 16 games with a hyperextended knee earlier this season, leaving him just one game above the 65-game threshold required for MVP eligibility.

Wembanyama is definitely a player to factor in. The 22-year-old has been dominant on both ends since the All-Star break. He's averaging 28 points and 11 rebounds with more than four blocks per game in March. San Antonio has lost just once with him in the lineup since late January. The youngest MVP in league history conversation is real.

The MVP verdict won't be announced until June, and plenty can change. Jokic needs to stay on the floor to remain in the race. With a 41-26 record, Denver sits in fifth place, just half a game behind the fourth-ranked Los Angeles Lakers. At this critical juncture, they face the Lakers in their next game on Saturday. It would be a huge opportunity for Jokic to remind the league where he belongs.