Nikola Jokic had already firmly established himself as the best basketball player in the world heading into the 2024-25 season with three NBA MVP trophies, one championship, and one NBA Finals<\/a> MVP already under his belt before he turned 30 years old. Jokic faced one of the biggest challenges of his career this season with the rest of the Denver Nuggets\u2019 roster starting to crumble around him. He\u2019s responded with arguably the best season of his career.<\/p>\n Jokic is third in the NBA in scoring, first in rebounds, and second in assists to start the new season. He\u2019s operating at huge 30 percent usage while scoring with sky-high efficiency (65 percent true shooting). The Nuggets go from one of the best teams in the NBA when he\u2019s on the floor (+10.51 net-rating) to the worst when he\u2019s on the bench (-15.28).<\/p>\n Jokic\u2019s three MVPs tie him with Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Moses Malone all-time. If he wins his fourth this year \u2014 and he\u2019s the big front-runner right now \u2014 he\u2019ll join LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players with four or more MVPs in league history.<\/p>\n On Thursday night, Jokic recorded his league-leading ninth triple-double in Denver\u2019s close loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a>. It was Jokic\u2019s 139th triple-double all-time, moving him past Magic Johnson and into third place in league history. The NBA used the occasion to celebrate the similarities between Jokic and Magic, and it\u2019s downright eery how some of these moves feel like a carbon-copy of one another. Watch the Jokic\/Johnson supercut here: <\/p>\n “He has the instinct of Magic Johnson.”<\/p>\n Nikola Joki\u0107 moved into 3rd on the all-time triple doubles list! <\/p>\n He shares some eerily similar highlight reel moments with the Hall of Fame guard he surpassed pic.twitter.com\/WeYVpe9Wwj<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) December 6, 2024<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Jokic is too young to have ever watched Magic live, but it\u2019s clear the versatility, creativity, and high-IQ that pulsed through Johnson\u2019s game are finding a modern reincarnation through the Nuggets star. <\/p>\n There are also a lot of statistical similarities between Johnson and Jokic. Box score plus\/minus is an all-in-one stat that estimates a player\u2019s impact on the court. Jokic and Johnson each in the top-5 in NBA history in the metric<\/a>:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n Win shares per 48 minutes is another stat where Jokic and Johnson both shine<\/a>:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n Only 12 players in NBA history have ever averaged at least 19 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists for their career. Jokic and Magic are both on the list<\/a>. <\/p>\n Magic has an ironclad case as a top-10 player in league history. Jokic is getting there, too. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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