In the 54-year history of the Denver Nuggets, no player has ever won the league's MVP award. But this streak should soon be snapped, with Nikola Jokic taking home the coveted piece of hardware.
The 6-foot-11, 284-pound center has been an unsolvable force this season. Through 54 games, Jokic is averaging a career-high 26.2 points per game with nearly 11 rebounds and nine assists, and according to Pro Basketball Reference, his Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 30.9 this year ranks second-best in the league and 14th in NBA history.
There are several qualified MVP candidates, but it sure seems like the race is Jokic's to lose.
"I think it's Nikola Jokic [for MVP], hands down," NBA insider Tom Haberstroh told the Reiter Than You show on Wednesday. "When you talk about the minutes played, he has the second-most minutes in the NBA behind [Knicks forward] Julius Randle... Right there at No. 2 is Nikola Jokic, and he's basically like Reggie Miller in terms of efficiency, but Magic Johnson in terms of his passing. You're talking about a guy who's seven-feet tall and averaging about 50-40-90, which is over 50-percent from the floor, 40-percent from three, and 90-percent at the line. His true shooting percentage is right there with Reggie Miller's best of his career, and yet he's a center who's also leading his team with nine dimes a night and rebounding. That's insane.
"And the availability here is what sets him apart. You can talk yourself into James Harden, or Giannis Antetokounmpo, or Joel Embiid, or LeBron James. But I'm sorry. The minutes played by Nikola Jokic... He hasn't missed a game this season or hasn't missed any chunk of the games this season. He's been available and playing at a high level... I think there's also this thing where, we've never seen a player like Nikola Jokic. So, we're afraid to anoint him -- a 41st pick in the draft -- as the MVP. But, in any season, I think this is a shoo-in for Nikola Jokic, from a production standpoint and an availability standpoint. I don't think anyone has a case over him."
Back in March, Jokic recorded his 50th career triple-double, joining NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain as the only centers in history to reach that mark.
The entire NBA conversation between Haberstroh and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Reiter Than You show on Twitter @sportsreiter and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.