Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has become the 3rd player in NBA history to average a triple-double over the course of an entire season. The 30 year old joins Russell Westbrook, and Oscar Robertson as the only players to accomplish the feat over the course of a full year.
“It’s nice. I didn’t do that before,” Jokic said following the game when asked about his accomplishment. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to say. It’s good.”
Jokic needed only 4 assists on Friday night to lock up the feat, but would eventually put up a 26pts/16reb/13ast line in his team’s 117-109 victory. It would end up being his 34th triple-double of the season, giving him the 4th most triple-doubles in a single season in the history of the league.
“If he doesn’t win the MVP, it’s the greatest season of all time not to win the MVP,” Nuggets interim coach David Adelman regarding his star big man.
The 3x MVP has come close to the feat before, recording a 24.5pts/11.8reb/9.8ast stat line during the 2022-23 season. He would ultimately go on to lose the MVP race to Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid, in an outcome which could mirror what will happen this season as well.
Despite his otherworldly on court performances this year, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains a heavy favourite to take home MVP honours at season’s end. Most sports books currently have SGA listed as a -4000 favourite to earn the award, with Jokic in second place at +1200 and Giannis Antetokounmpo a distant third at 100 to 1 odds.
Denver has undergone a tumultuous season in which they fired head coach Mike Malone, and will part ways with GM Calvin Booth as well. Despite that, the Nuggets sit in 4th place in the tightly packed Western Conference standings at 49-32.
The team still has plenty of variance in their seeding at play with the Lakers, Clippers, Warrior, and Timberwolves all within a game of Denver record wise. That level of parity puts extra emphasis on the team’s 3:30pm ET showdown with the Houston Rockets on Sunday. A win can secure them home court advantage, while a loss could send them tumbling down the standings.
Nevertheless, Jokic has recorded a season for the ages. And while he may not bring home the hardware one might expect such an accomplishment would include at season’s end, reports indicate that his bank account could be a massive beneficiary of his on court exploits.
Tim MacMahon and Ramona Shelburne have both reported that Jokic is likely to sign a 3 year, $212M contract extension this offseason. That would bring his AAV during that span to a whopping $70.6M per season.
So while the club may have an uncertain future in terms of their front office and coaching staff, it would appear as though their franchise icon will be staying with them for years to come.
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