The reason why Jokic should be the favorite for MVP over Shai
The Serbian center leads the competition in one of the most important NBA statistics that best reflect a player's impact on his team.
We are fortunate to be living in a glorious era in basketball, with two generational talents at their peak, a level of efficiency rarely seen, and an astonishing impact on their teams. Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the top contenders for the MVP award, but the Denver Nuggets' player has an edge over the Thunder's guard in one of the most important NBA statistics.
There is nothing better to measure a player's influence on the team than the NBA statistic of +/-. The time a player of this caliber spends on the court should greatly affect the overall performance of the team he plays for, and it would be logical to think that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the absolute king in this regard considering the impressive 24-2 record that the Oklahoma City Thunder have achieved so far this season. However, that is not the case, highlighting a tremendous merit of Nikola Jokic.
The Serbian center is the main orchestrator of the Denver Nuggets' game, giving meaning to everything that happens on offense, providing scoring opportunities for his teammates, and his collective influence is less affected by his shooting accuracy compared to Shai's. Nikola Jokic's advantage is significant, with over 3 points more than the Thunder's guard, making this a parameter that must be considered in the MVP discussion.
Plus/Minus leaders this season:
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) December 18, 2025
1. Nikola Jokić, +16.8
2. SGA, +13.2
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, +10.9
4. Luka Dončić, +7.9
5. Steph Curry, +7.0
6. Tyrese Maxey, +6.8
7. Alperen Şengün, +6.3
8. Donovan Mitchell, +6.3
9. Cade Cunningham, +6.2
10. Jimmy Butler III, +5.7 pic.twitter.com/c8IoZXT0C5
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El motivo por el que Jokic debería ser favorito al MVP por encima de Shai
