However you frame it, Nikola Jokic is the best player in the NBA today. 

The Denver Nuggets’ 30-year-old center has won his three NBA MVPs in the past five seasons and finished second in the other two (including last season), with a fair argument to be made that he should have won those as well.

Jokic has posted all-time numbers for nearly a decade now, and his place among the greats is practically set in stone at this point. If he retired tomorrow, one could argue that he is already a top-five center.

His game might not be loud or flashy like a typical superstar, but few players can bend a match to his will the way that he does. This happens on a nightly basis for the Nuggets which can make it easy to take for granted. He’s not a staple of highlight reels—yet if fundamentals and brilliant reads counted as highlights, the top 10 plays would feature just him every night.

Denver’s recent win over the Los Angeles Clippers—a rematch of last year’s first-round series—was a stark reminder of just how impactful he can be. 

The Nuggets started out the game flat, missing seven of their first eight shots as a team. Jokic realized that Denver needed him to score to tide their cold spell over and he did just that. He put up 25 points over an eight-minute stretch of the first quarter to give them a four-point lead by the period’s end.

The Clippers rallied back to take a five-point lead heading into the halftime break, but Jokic responded with another brilliant quarter. He opened the second half on a tear, pouring in 21 points in the third quarter alone, including reaching the 50-point mark with 1:58 remaining. This gave the Nuggets a 16-point lead heading into the final period which allowed them to cruise to a 130-116 win.

There was simply no stopping Jokic as he attacked Los Angeles’ defense from all angles. He scored when he had to, but consistently made the right play as always and still kept his teammates involved.

​​https://x.com/byesline/status/1988838909313200562?s=20

Jokic finished the night with 55 points–just one short of his career-high–on 18-of-23 field goal shooting, including five-of-six on three-pointers. He also had 12 rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block to round out his signature all-around statline. What makes his performance even more impressive is that he did it on the second night of a back-to-back set, the team’s second over a six-day stretch. 

This is what greatness looks like. Whatever the circumstance, Jokic shows up with his best and plays the game the way that he wants to–whether their opponents like it or not. No one in the game today can dictate the tempo the way that he does, which is what truly makes him unique, not only among today’s crop of players, but on an all-time level.

Nikola Jokic is truly special, and the only thing stopping him from being considered one of the best players ever is that he still has just one NBA championship. With the way he and the Nuggets are playing this season, he is in prime position to change that to stake his claim among the all-time greats. Even just one more championship in itself will do wonders for the conversation about him which is a testament to how great he truly is.