Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman emphatically praised superstar center Nikola Jokić as the 2024–25 NBA regular season draws to a close, calling his campaign one of the best in league history, regardless of whether it ends with an MVP trophy.
“If Nikola doesn’t win MVP, it will be the greatest season of all time to not win MVP,” Adelman said, via The Athletic’s Tony Jones.
Jokić, a three-time MVP winner and the reigning award recipient, has delivered another exceptional season while anchoring the Nuggets’ push toward the postseason.
Nikola Jokić Has Provided the Denver Nuggets with Another Dominant Season
In 69 games, the Serbian big man has averaged 29.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, and a career-high 10.3 assists per game, officially becoming just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double in a season.
Jokić has managed his heavy usage without compromising efficiency. He’s maintained a 66.2 true shooting percentage on a career-high 19.6 field-goal attempts per game — a mark that ranks in the league’s top ten, per NBA.com.
While Jokić’s brilliance is undeniable, the MVP race remains tight. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as a leading challenger.
Gilgeous-Alexander, a three-time All-Star, leads the NBA with 32.7 points per game, averaging 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds. He’s shooting 51.9 percent from the floor, 37.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 89.8 percent from the line — all while guiding the Thunder to a league-best 67-14 record.
The final decision for MVP may come down to voter preference: Jokić’s all-around dominance and historic production, or Gilgeous-Alexander’s scoring and the Thunder’s remarkable team success.
But regardless of the outcome, Adelman made it clear that Jokić’s 2024–25 season belongs in the conversation with the all-time great individual campaigns.
