Despite being drafted in 2013, Jokic is already one of the best players in NBA history. He has a chance to win his first MVP award this season and set an all-time record for most points scored by a player picked outside of the top five.
The “nikola jokic draft” is a player who was drafted in the second round and has been battling for the NBA MVP award for two straight seasons. He is already the best 2nd-round pick in league history.
Nikola Jokic has already established himself as a full-fledged superstar, throwing water polo-style passes all over the parquet, tormenting opponents with his signature Sombor Shuffle, and carrying the Denver Nuggets anytime he’s on the floor.
He’s fighting it out with Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid, Milwaukee Bucks two-time champion Giannis Antetokounmpo, and a host of lower-tier hopefuls to repeat as the NBA’s most coveted individual award winner. He’s already led the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals, despite the following fight with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 seems so far away.
Even now, he’s assisting Denver in overcoming a plague of season-ending injuries (see: Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.) in order to keep the team in contention for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Jokic has proved himself as more than simply one of the top second-round picks in the contemporary NBA draft’s history. When anybody other than the league commissioner reads picks from the podium, he’s suddenly the shining example of the gems general managers aspire to uncover.
Manu Ginobili, Marc Gasol, and a slew of others were second-round steals.
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Though the top prospects in the NBA’s annual prospect parade often — and rightfully — get the most of the attention, the league’s history is riddled with draft steals.
As part of the San Antonio Spurs’ ahead-of-its-time Big Three, Manu Ginobili (No. 57 in 1999) Eurostepped his way to Sixth Man of the Year and four titles.
Marc Gasol (No. 48 in 2007) delivered a slew of defensive masterclasses, guiding some of the Grizzlies’ most formidable teams during the grit-and-grind era with his foresight and uncanny reflexes.
While Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson pounded many three-pointers, Draymond Green (No. 35 in 2012) virtually performed the position of free safety for the fabled Golden State Warriors, establishing the defensive tone and blossoming as a superb distributor.
Front offices were understandably ecstatic after picking Maurice Cheeks (No. 36 in 1978), Dennis Johnson (No. 29 in 1976), Nate McMillan (No. 30 in 1986), Mark Price (No. 25 in 1986), Doc Rivers (No. 31 in 1983), and Dennis Rodman (No. 31 in 1983) from the archives (No. 27 in 1986).
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None of them, however, can equal Nikola Jokic’s ever-expanding list of accomplishments.
Nikola Jokic has a résumé that surpasses all others, even at the age of 26.
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Nikola Jokic became the first and only second-rounder in the modern draft period to earn the MVP award in 2020-21, averaging 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists while leading a 47-25 Nuggets team to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. (Willis Reed won MVP in 1964 after being selected first overall in the second round with the No. 10 overall choice, but it was before territorial picks were eliminated, ushering in the “modern” draft period.)
The Denver center didn’t make the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, instead being a noticeable absence, but he’s already on his way to Springfield, Massachusetts, for induction. He has a 43.0 percent probability of making the Hall of Fame, according to Basketball Reference’s Hall of Fame Probability calculation, and that’s without his playing his whole career and accumulating the volume-based statistics required for a higher score.
Jokic has now been selected to four All-Star games, tying Draymond Green and Paul Millsap for the most All-Star appearances among second-round choices. He’s already been named to three All-NBA teams, and he’ll almost certainly add to that total by the end of his 2021-22 season. He’ll add a fourth top-10 finish in MVP voting — and potentially a second triumph — before the summer solstice, bringing his total to three.
But, beyond the plaudits and the spectacular passes that amaze defenders and bystanders alike, Jokic has already established himself as a viable candidate for the title of “best player in the league,” which was previously unthinkable for any player who joined the league outside the first round.
For the standout center of the Denver Nuggets, the plaudits are just starting.
Four straight All-Star games for Nikola Jokic. Two straight years as a starter. He joins Alex English, Carmelo Anthony as the only Nuggets selected to four or more All-Star games. Jokic, English, David Thompson are the only Nuggets selected to start consecutive All-Star games. pic.twitter.com/W7g01nReig
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) January 28, 2022
Perhaps you don’t want to give Jokic that title. Maybe you’re keeping it for LeBron James until he leaves the league. You may name Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, or another plausible competitor as the winner.
That’s all right.
In any case, Jokic is in the mix, and that isn’t going to change very soon. Not for a player whose game is built on split-second defensive reads, one-handed rebounds in traffic, and dazzling touch near the rim, rather than physical characteristics that are ultimately undermined by the inevitable march of Father Time. Plus, this equestrian won’t be 30 until the second half of the 2024-25 season. Even if his game was built on explosive athleticism, he’d still have a few years remaining to perform at his best.
It’s almost hard to anticipate where Jokic will go from here, if only because his career has already been equal parts distinctive and surprising.
Despite his — to be fair — meandering foot speed, he’s already established himself as a viable defensive asset. What if he also reverts to his 39.6% three-point shooting percentage from 2017-18, but with greater volume than ever before? Could he follow in Joel Embiid’s footsteps as a real big seeking to break into the scoring race so frequently dominated by wings and guards in the NBA’s three-point-happy age if he takes on even more of the scoring responsibility in Denver?
If Jokic maintains his current form, he will be a lock for the All-Star game every year, a contender for All-NBA honors every year, and a regular in MVP voting, whether at the top or toward the bottom. Things change fast in sports, but considering his consistency as the nightly leader in Denver, regardless of the caliber of his surrounding cast, there should be little question.
Is there anything more definite than that? Jokic, who is already the finest second-round choice in NBA history, should be so far ahead of the pack in years to come that any following competitor for the championship will be considered unthinkable.
All stats are courtesy of Basketball Reference unless otherwise stated.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Has a 2nd round Pick ever won MVP?
A: The answer is no.
Was Jokic a unanimous MVP?
A: Yes, Nikola Jokic was a unanimous MVP vote.
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