ESPN kept the Nuggets center at No. 1 for a third straight year, and what he did last season backs that up even after a rough playoff exit.
The race for the top spot was close, but center Nikola Jokic held on.
ESPN's new NBA Rank put Jokic at No. 1 for the third year in a row, ahead of center Victor Wembanyama at No. 2 and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at No. 3, and only three voting points separated the three of them.
Each one was ranked first by at least one of the seven panelists, but the Denver Nuggets star still came out on top, and he deserved to.
What Jokic Did Last Season
Jokic averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists in 65 games while shooting 56.9% from the field.
That was his second straight season averaging a triple-double, and ESPN noted that only he and guard Russell Westbrook have done that more than once.
He also became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both rebounds and assists per game, according to ESPN.
He finished second in MVP voting to Gilgeous-Alexander and made the All-NBA first team.
ESPN pointed out that he has now either won the MVP or finished second in six straight seasons.
Denver went 54-28 and finished third in the West, but the season ended early.
Minnesota beat the Nuggets in six games in the first round, and Jokic made just 7 of his 36 3-point tries in that series.
Why He Is Still No. 1
The case for Jokic starts with how much he does.
Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP, and Wembanyama won Defensive Player of the Year, but neither of them led the league in rebounds and assists while scoring 27.7 points a night.
So much of Denver's offense runs through his passing, and that is a big reason the Nuggets have so many important pieces who fit so well next to him.
The worry is his outside shot.
ESPN noted his 3-point shooting dipped after he suffered a bone bruise in his left knee on Dec. 29 and missed 16 games, falling from 44% before the injury to 32% after he came back.
If that shot comes back, there should not be much debate about this spot.
Wembanyama is only 22 and will keep getting better, so the top spot will not belong to Jokic forever, but for this season nobody does more things at a high level every night, and the Nuggets are built to take advantage of that.
Jokic Wants to Stay in Denver
The other good news for Denver is that Jokic wants to be there for a long time.
He is under contract for two more seasons, with a player option on the last one, and ESPN reported that by waiting until next summer he can sign a bigger deal.
That has led to some talk about his future, but Jokic has been direct about it.
"My desire is to play the rest of my life in Denver," Jokic told reporters in Serbian in July, according to ESPN.
Jokic turned 31 in February and is coming off a season in which he led the league in rebounds and assists.
Media day is Monday, and while others are predicting where Denver finishes, the Nuggets start the year with the best player in the league as long as Jokic stays healthy.
