Over the past half-decade, Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic has cemented himself as arguably the biggest success story in NBA history. After being drafted 41st overall back in 2014, he's emerged as an all-time great with a resumé few can match.
Jokic has long been in the conversation for the league's best player, and still manages to take his game to new heights. While it didn't result in his fourth MVP trophy, the Nuggets star put together arguably the best campaign of his career.
Across 70 appearances in the regular season, Jokic averaged a triple-double with 29.6 PPG, 12.7 RPG, and 10.2 APG. He became just the third player to average a triple-double for a season, and was the first big man to do so.
Nuggets star Nikola Jokic takes top spot in NBA player rankings
Over the last few days, the people at ESPN have been putting out the latest edition of their NBA player rankings. The final installment came out Thursday morning, with the top ten finally being unveiled.
Coming off a dominant 2025 campaign, Jokic finds himself in the top spot for a second straight season. He beat out the likes of reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 2), Luka Doncic (No.3), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (No.4).
Simply put, Jokic is at the peak of his basketball powers right now and should be regarded as an MVP favorite as long as he stays at this level. Last season, Jokic became the third player in history to average a triple-double (29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists) for the season and had the fourth-highest player efficiency rating (32.04) in league history.
THE NBA RANK TOP 10 IS HERE 🔥
— ESPN (@espn) September 25, 2025
Who will be the best players in 2025-26? Our experts made their predictions ➡️ https://t.co/EdTRtoYrvm pic.twitter.com/MEBMqhigDF
Last season ended in a bit of disarray for the Nuggets following shocking changes to the coaching staff and front office. However, since then, the franchise has been able to get back on track.
Armed with a new-look supporting cast of complementary veterans, Jokic has the depth around him to get the Nuggets back in the title hunt in 2026. Seeing that his game has shown no signs of decline, his reign at the top of the upper echelon of superstars won't be ending anytime soon.