May 9, 2022, 10:21am
The Denver Nuggets center is the NBA's most valuable player for the second year in a row, after leading the team to a 48-34 record and one of the most statistically impressive individual seasons in NBA history, according to reports.
The Denver Nuggets play the NBA basketball game in Denver. The photo was taken by David Zalubowski.
Jokic's basic box score statistics of 27.1 points, 13.8 rebound and 7.9 assists are enough to make him a shoo-in for the NBA's Most Valuable Player award, but he's not the only one.
The highest single-season mark for the highly-coveted catch-all stat in NBA history was set by Joki, who finished the 2021-22 season with a player efficiency rating of 32.85.
Joki's assist rate is the highest for a center in NBA history.
Joki's true shooting rate is the highest in the league for any player with a usage rate over 20%.
Joki has been criticized for his struggles on defense in the past, but according to RAPTOR, FiveThirtyEight's model that incorporates player tracking data to approximate a player's value, Joki was.
Joki is the only player in NBA history to have 2,000 points, 1,000 rebound and 500 assists in a single season.
How many first place votes Joki gets from the 100 media voters who decide the league's most valuable player. The results of the NBA voting will be announced later this week.
Joki's efficiency is notable when you consider the lack of surrounding talent this year. Before the start of the NBA playoffs in 2021, Joki's co-star Jamal Murray tore his knee and would miss the rest of the season. Michael Porter Jr., the up-and-coming star who the Nuggets signed to a maximum contract extension in the summer, was ruled out for the season after having back surgery. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs despite Joki's series-leading 31 points per game.
Joki was given 15-1 odds to win his second award before the start of the 2021-22 season, which is likely due to the expected absence of Murray and the fact that the Nuggets will have a poor record.
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