Has Nikola Jokic become underrated?

There was a time when every Nikola Jokic triple-double was a headline. Now, it’s just another night in the NBA.

Through the first seven games of the season, Jokic has recorded a triple-double in five of them – a feat that, for almost any other player, would be hailed as an early-season masterpiece. For Jokic nowadays though, it barely makes noise – or so we thought. 

His latest line – 33 points, 15 rebounds, and 16 assists in a win over the Miami Heat – came and went without much fanfare. No major debates, no viral clips, just another Nikola Jokic game.

It raises a sobering question: Have we started taking Nikola Jokic for granted?

When greatness becomes routine

In a league dominated by storylines, Jokic has somehow become background noise.
There’s the buzz surrounding Oklahoma City’s rise to their dynasty aspirations, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s another MVP-level play. There’s Victor Wembanyama’s historic two-way surge, Luka Doncic torching defenses nightly, and Giannis Antetokounmpo reclaiming his MVP momentum as the Bucks return back into contention. Amid all this, Jokic continues to produce at a level that would define other players’ careers – and yet, it’s treated as business as usual.

Maybe that’s the curse of consistency. Jokic has been performing at an MVP standard for six straight years, making extraordinary basketball look almost effortless. His greatness has lost its novelty, not its effectiveness. The NBA world seems to have reached the point where a 25-12-12 stat line is expected out of him night in and night out, and anything less is considered an off night.

That kind of expectation can only mean one thing: we might have grown numb to the brilliance of the Joker.

Jokic’s game defies conventional flash. He doesn’t soar above defenders, doesn’t scream after dunks, and rarely demands attention. Instead, he dissects opponents with surgical precision – manipulating angles, finding shooters, and bending defenses until they break. 

He makes the hardest parts of basketball look like second nature. And perhaps because of that, his dominance no longer shocks us.

Watch him closely, though, and it’s clear this is not normal. No one in NBA history has combined this kind of scoring efficiency, playmaking creativity, and rebounding control in one body. Jokic’s blend of power and patience, vision and touch, feels like something out of a different era – or maybe a different dimension.

Yet, somehow, it doesn’t dominate the discourse anymore the way it once did.

The cost of familiarity

It’s possible that ‘voter fatigue’ has caught up with Jokic – not just in award voting, but in the public consciousness. When a player sustains greatness for this long, the conversation naturally shifts elsewhere. The media and fans often chase new narratives, new stars, new sensations. Jokic, who’s been doing this for years, no longer fits the mold of “breaking news.”

But it’s worth remembering: he’s still the best player in basketball.

Since 2019, Jokic has averaged roughly 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists per game while leading the Denver Nuggets to sustained success, including the 2023 NBA Championship – a run that stamped his legacy as one of the all-time greats. And yet, even as he keeps doing it, his name often fades into the background of louder storylines.

The truth is, we’ve normalized his greatness to the point where we no longer fully appreciate it. It’s not that Jokic has gotten worse – it’s that everyone else has gotten louder.

Led by Jokic, Nuggets quietly creep up atop the West

Part of the reason Jokic’s brilliance flies under the radar is the Nuggets’ quiet offseason.
While other teams made splashy moves – like Kevin Durant’s shocking arrival in Houston – Denver operated with surgical precision rather than spectacle.

They brought back a familiar face in Bruce Brown, a key piece of their 2023 title run. Brown’s return instantly reestablishes the defensive edge and chemistry that made Denver so complete during their championship push. His connection with Jokic is instinctive; he knows exactly when and where to cut, and Jokic always finds him.

The Nuggets also made a subtle but meaningful trade – flipping Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson. At first glance, it might seem like a downgrade in talent, but in practice, it could be an upgrade in fit. Johnson’s spacing, unselfishness, and commitment to role-playing perfectly complement Jokic’s system. He won’t hijack possessions or hunt shots; he’ll move, shoot, and defend – the exact formula that maximizes Jokic’s playmaking brilliance.

Denver also finally addressed one of their lingering issues: the lack of a dependable backup center. The addition of Jonas Valanciunas gives them that stability. A bruising interior presence and elite screener, Valanciunas allows Denver to stay afloat when Jokic sits – a problem that’s haunted them for years. He’s also a sneaky-good passer, keeping Denver’s dribble-handoff flow alive in bench units.

And perhaps the most underrated move of all is not a move at all: the return of a healthy Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. Both have battled injuries during previous playoff runs, but when on the floor, they complete Denver’s identity. Murray’s two-man game with Jokic remains one of the most unstoppable actions in basketball, while Gordon’s cutting, defense, and athleticism balance the Nuggets on both ends.

Another quiet storyline is their head coach David Adelman. After taking over midseason last year, Adelman has done an exceptional job keeping the Nuggets grounded and disciplined. His defensive tweaks and trust in player development have kept Denver sharp despite roster transitions. He doesn’t seek the spotlight – much like Jokic – but his influence is felt in the team’s structure, chemistry, and accountability.

Adelman has embraced what makes Jokic special: freedom within a framework. Denver plays through Jokic at all times, but it never feels forced. The rhythm of the offense – cuts, screens, spacing – is organic, built on years of familiarity and trust.

While the Thunder, Lakers, Spurs, and Rockets dominate headlines, the Nuggets are quietly creeping back into the Western Conference’s top tier. It’s easy to forget that Denver was one win away from eliminating the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder last postseason.

Now, with a more balanced roster, better depth, and a refreshed core, they’re poised to make another deep run. And at the center of it all – both literally and figuratively – is Nikola Jokic, still orchestrating everything with unmatched control.

He’s still the engine, still the mind, still the heartbeat of Denver basketball. And yet, somehow, we’ve stopped talking about him.

The normalization of the extraordinary

Maybe that’s the price of sustained brilliance – to be so consistently excellent that the world stops noticing. 

But history will remember what the present often overlooks. Jokic isn’t just putting up big numbers; he’s reshaping what we thought possible for a big man.

One day, when we look back, we’ll realize these seasons weren’t normal. They were masterpieces hiding in plain sight.

Nikola Jokic hasn’t fallen off – if anything, he’s still climbing. It’s the rest of us who’ve forgotten to look up.