The NBA MVP race is now also a proving ground for Nikola Jokic
With Jamal Murray out due to a torn ACL, the MVP race is now the proving ground for Nuggets center Nikola Jokic
The Denver Nuggets won eight straight games after the trade deadline in late-March. Even with a second straight loss Monday night, to the Golden State Warriors, they are 34-20 with the fourth-best record in the West entering Wednesday.
But they had a more significant loss in that game against Golden State. Guard Jamal Murray suffered a torn left ACL, and he’s of course out for the rest of the season. He had missed the previous four games with right knee soreness.
For all intents and purposes, any chance the Nuggets had to make a deep playoff run went away when Murray went down on Monday night. He and center Nikola Jokic formed one of the top duos in the league, as Murray came into this season on the heels of a great showing in the Orlando bubble to end last season.
According to PBP stats, Jokic and Murray were two of the top eight assist duos in the league this season (note that Jokic to Michael Porter Jr. is No. 4). Denver’s offensive rating with Murray and Jokic on the floor was 122.4, as they outscored opponents by 11.5 points per 100 possessions. In Jokic-only time, the per-100 possession number was -2.1 with a 111.3 team offensive rating.
Jokic has obviously been very productive this season, averaging career-highs in points (26.2), rebounds (10.9) and assists (8.8) per game. But, according to NBA Advanced Stats, he has been notably better in a couple marks with Murray on the floor.
Effective Field Goal Percentage
Murray On The Floor: 62%; Murray Off The Floor: 57.3%
Turnover Rate (per 100 possessions)
Murray On The Floor: 3.6; Murray Off The Floor: 6.0
With Murray out, Monte Morris and Facundo Campazzo will be stepping into bigger roles for Denver. Porter Jr. will now become the proverbial “2”, as a gifted scorer to fill some of what Murray is leaving behind. Aaron Gordon, perhaps the most impactful trade deadline acquisition this year, may now be counted on for more.
Will Barton becomes more interesting (fantasy alert), and a key player for the Nuggets down the stretch. In the four games Murray recently missed with his right knee issue, Barton averaged 17 points, 4.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game on 40 percent from 3-point range.
Jokic will be a top MVP candidate no matter what happens from here on out, shy of a season-ending injury of his own. And even then, he’ll get some votes. But if the Nuggets hang onto a top-four seed in the West, it’ll be with him as the driving force while some others step up where they best can. This run to the playoffs could very well cement Jokic as the league MVP this year, as he proves his singular value to keep the Nuggets afloat without Murray .