A Third Straight MVP Would Put Nikola Jokic In Rare Company

The Miami Heat face Jokic and the Denver Nuggets Friday to start a five-game road trip

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is a contender for the MVP award for the third consecutive season. 

Several betting sites have Jokic in the top 10 for the honor. The Kia MVP ladder has the Nuggets star at No. 2 behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Nuggets are tied with the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

Jokic has a chance to be the fourth player in league history to win three straight MVP awards. He would join Hall of Famers Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird as the only players to accomplish this feat.

He continues to stake his claim against the Miami Heat Friday night. One of Jokic’s most recent games against Miami saw him in an altercation with Markieff Morris. Morris sustained a back injury that kept him out of the lineup the rest of the year.

Morris is not in Miami this season but the Heat have to replicate his defensive energy against Jokic. They will need their playmaking to compete with Jokic on the offensive end.

The Nuggets star is averaging 25.7 points, 10.8 rebounds and 9.4 assists. His rebounds, assists and 62 percent shooting all rank top 10 in the NBA. Unlike previous seasons, Jokic finally has the luxury of having All-Star guard Jamal Murray back in the lineup.

It will be tougher for Jokic to claim the MVP this season because he is in competition with players like Jayson Tatum, Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Kevin Durant.

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Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.