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Nikola Jokić

Denver Nuggets · #15 · Elite
C6'11"284 lbage 3111 yrs expSombor, Serbia
1st best of 15 on DENworth +13.4 wins to the rotation
OFF96DEF87
Elite playmaker & perimeter defender
DEN
Denver Nuggets
Western · Northwest · proj. 56-26 (▲+2.8)
→
3× MVP8× All-NBA8× All-Star2025-26: MVP runner-up

The best player in basketball and a perennial MVP candidate, the engine of everything Denver does. A three-time MVP who finished second again, he put up 27.7 points, 12.9 boards and 10.7 assists on a surreal 67% true shooting — a 7-foot point center who passes like a maestro (10.7 dimes) and scores at will. The only knock is the turnovers that come with carrying the whole offense.

27.7
PPG
12.9
RPG
10.7
APG
1.4
SPG
0.8
BPG
GP 65MPG 34.8FG% 56.93P% 38FT% 83.1TS% 67USG% 30.4PER 32.3BPM +14.2VORP 9.2EPM +7.2
2025-26 regular season · bars are percentile at his position

NBA player ratings

0–99 · 2025-26 form
Playmaking99
Perimeter defense98
Shooting95
Scoring93
Rebounding90
Inside finishing79
Rim protection62

Skill ratings are 2025-26 per-game and advanced stats (Basketball-Reference) ranked 0–99 within position (guards vs guards, bigs vs bigs). Overall is anchored to EPM impact on a non-linear curve, nudged by these skills; Offense and Defense come from box plus-minus. A player who missed the latest season is shown from his most recent one.

Career

2015-16 to 2025-26 · 11 seasons
22.2
PPG
11.1
RPG
7.5
APG
810
GAMES
Points 18,009Win Shares 142.9Starts 769Best season 2023-24 · 26.4 ppg
Games played, last three seasons87%
AMONG CURRENT PLAYERS
15th in career points6th in Win Shares12th in All-Star selections

Regular season, 2003-04 onward (Basketball-Reference). Averages are weighted by games played; honours count awards won, not finishes. “Current players” means the 802 who played in the last three seasons.

Trajectory

2023-24 → 2025-26 · age 28 → 30
▬Steady

Nikola, at 30, has held steady — 14.0 → 14.0 wins of value over the window.

Age curve▲ Ahead of curve
Aging better than the curve — holding his level longer than most.
2026-27 forecast▼ 12.6 wins (-1.4)
Age takes about 0.5 wins off at 31. Range 11.8–13.4 wins.
Production (BPM)+13.2 → +14.2+1.026-27 forecast +13.4
His production has held roughly steady.
2023-24: +13.2 · 79 games2024-25: +13.3 · 70 games2025-26: +14.2 · 65 games2026-27: +13.4 (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Value to team (wins)14.0 → 14.0+0.026-27 forecast 12.6
His value to a team has been stable.
2023-24: 14.0 · 79 games2024-25: 14.0 · 70 games2025-26: 14.0 · 65 games2026-27: 12.6 (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Contract value2026-27: worth $54.4M vs $59.0M salary−$4.6M
He is paid more than his play is projected to be worth.
$59.0M salary2023-24: $56.0M · 79 games2024-25: $56.0M · 70 games2025-26: $56.0M · 65 games2026-27: $54.4M (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Current deal: $59,033,114 cap hit · through '28. On the contract row the flat dashed line is this salary, so the gap to the 2026-27 forecast is the surplus.

Seasons from Basketball-Reference (2023-24 → 2025-26). Production is box plus-minus, a per-possession measure. Value is VORP-based wins, so it also counts games played. Contract value is what each season’s play would fetch on the open market. The dotted 2026-27 point is a forecast: his established level, a year older, assuming a normal season.

Contract

2026-27
$59,033,114Guaranteed
27% of the club’s payroll · 1st of 13 priced deals
Runs through2 seasons
Est. market value$54,383,400 /yr
Surplus−$4,649,714
ABOVE VALUEpaid above his on-court value

Market value is an estimate, not a reported figure: what his play is forecast to fetch on the open market in 2026-27 — his current rating, a year older. Cap thresholds are projected for 2026-27 until the league sets them.

2026-27 off-season

1 move

OFFICIAL means the league’s own records carry the move; AGREED means a trusted insider reported it and the league has not processed it yet. Terms and attribution come from the wire, which is the only source that carries them.

Plays like

same position

Nearest skill profiles across the seven rating axes — who he plays like, not who is as good. The rating beside each name answers that second question.