Nikola Jokic takes center stage after comments from Denver stars Russell Westbrook, DeAndre Jordan

Nikola Jokic has been a standout in the NBA for years, earning numerous accolades, including three league MVP awards. However, his dominant play has also prompted opposing teams to devise defensive strategies specifically designed to neutralize him. Jokic’s Denver Nuggets teammates, Russell Westbrook and DeAndre Jordan, shared their insights on these challenges, offering key takeaways.

“The best player on the court, in the world, is Nikola Jokic,” Westbrook said in an interview shared by The Denver Post. “It’s the reason why they’ve got five people in the paint. If I’m the other team, I’d try to do that too.”

The guard, who won NBA MVP honors in 2017 with the Oklahoma City Thunder, acknowledged the defensive schemes aimed at limiting Jokic’s impact but emphasized that it’s still worth passing him the ball, even if it means taking a risk. “I’ll turn it over 20 times trying to pass him the ball. I don’t really care… It’s our job as a supporting cast to make sure we help make the game easier for him,” Westbrook explained.

Jordan defends Jokic’s MVP case

As the debate rages on regarding whether this season’s MVP award should go to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or whether Nikola Jokic deserves to claim the honor for the fourth time in the past five years, DeAndre Jordan has no doubts. “He will always be our MVP, one, because he is, and two, I don’t want to get traded. I’m always going to vouch for Jokic,” he stated hilariously in an interview with Run It Back.

DeAndre Jordan of the Denver Nuggets plays the Los Angeles Clippers on January 08, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.

“I mean, Shai has done some amazing things; I give Shai a ton of credit,” Jordan acknowledged, referring to the Thunder star. However, he immediately highlighted why he believes Jokic is the more deserving candidate. “He’s averaging 29 (points), 13 (rebounds), and 11 (assists) for the fourth straight year… He may not have the best defensive stats as far as steals and blocks, but he changes the game so significantly as well because he has quick hands. He’s super smart.”

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Finally, Jordan reflected on Jokic’s immense value to the Nuggets, stating: “Nikola is just so valuable to our team, especially with what he’s doing at his size, and the way he passes the basketball, just gets everybody involved. It’s great.”

Jokic’s numbers

Nikola Jokic’s case for the 2025 NBA MVP award is strongly supported by his impressive statistics. The Serbian center ranks among the top three in the league in all three major categories: third in points per game (28.8), third in rebounds (12.8), and second in assists (10.4).

However, the competition remains fierce, particularly with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is on track to claim the scoring title this season. The stellar performance of the Oklahoma City Thunder, currently leading the Western Conference with a 51-11 record, further strengthens Gilgeous-Alexander’s chances of securing the MVP award.