Nikola Jokic, who has dominated the NBA for the past few years, now finds himself in a battle with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for this year’s MVP award. However, according to a Denver Nuggets player, the Serbian center holds a significant advantage.
“He got MVP last year, and he’s even better this year. All of his numbers are up,” Aaron Gordon said of the Serbian center during an interview with Run It Back. “30-13-10. He’s affecting the game in all areas, he’s shooting near 50% from the three, he’s shooting over 50% from the field, 85% from the line.”
Gordon, visibly impressed by Nikola’s performance this 2024-25 NBA season, added: “What are we looking at here? We are looking at one of the most ridiculous numbers.” He continued: “He’s shooting the ball better, averaging a triple-double.”
The 29-year-old forward then compared Jokic’s numbers to those of Gilgeous-Alexander, acknowledging the Oklahoma City Thunder star’s impressive season but arguing that the Joker’s overall impact is greater. “His numbers are better than Shai’s. I get that OKC is winning, but come on, bro,” Gordon said. “I don’t think it’s as close as people think, you know? As people are making it. Yeah, Shai is incredibly good… I think Shai get the scoring title, Joker get MVP. That’s just what it is.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates scoring a three-pointer
Jokic’s impact on the Denver Nuggets
While praising Jokic, Aaron Gordon was candid about how the Nuggets’ performance dramatically changes depending on whether or not the Serbian center is on the court. “I mean, you see the plus-minus when he’s on the floor and when he’s off,” he said.
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“It’s by far the best team in the league when he’s on the floor. And it’s ugly the other way around,” Gordon acknowledged. “As far as the statistics, as far as the plus-minus is going.” However, he quickly added that the Nuggets are addressing this issue: “That’s coming around, we’re fixing that.”
Comparing Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander’s numbers
Interestingly, the plus-minus stat that Gordon highlighted in defense of Jokic is one of the few where Gilgeous-Alexander holds a significant advantage. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard leads the league in this category with a +13.1, while Nikola sits behind at +9.7.
In other statistical categories, Gilgeous-Alexander has the edge in average points (32.5 vs. 29.7 for Jokic), free throw percentage (89.7% vs. 82.1%), steals (1.9 vs. 1.8), and blocks (1.0 vs. 0.7). Meanwhile, the Serbian star holds clear advantages in rebounds (12.7 vs. 5.1), assists (10.2 vs. 6.1), field goal percentage (57.6% vs. 52.3%), and three-point percentage (44.9% vs. 35.9%).
