"Nuggets aren't a play-in team without Nikola Jokic" - NBA exec plays down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP case pointing to disparity in supporting cast

This year's MVP race will go down to the wire.

It seemed like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a big lead over the rest of the pack, but Nikola Jokic has closed that gap over the past couple of months. He's posting the best averages of his career, and, being a three-time MVP winner, that's a lot to say.

More than that, his supporting cast isn't as good as Shai's. That's why an unnamed executive told CBS Sports that as much as he gets why some people are tired of voting for Jokic, he would still get his vote:

"I will say this: Shai has a lot more help. I get the voter fatigue around Nikola, I do, but the Nuggets aren't a play-in team without Nikola Jokić. The Thunder are still housing people without Shai. I'd vote for Jokić," the executive said.

The Nuggets have struggled with injuries all season, and while their championship core is still there, they haven't been as efficient as they were in the past, especially when Jokic has missed a game.

Nikola Jokic believes he should win MVP

The Thunder and Nuggets squared off twice earlier in the month, and they split those games. Denver bounced back with a statement win after a big loss, and Jokic got brutally honest on his MVP case.

For the first time in his career, he acknowledged that he thought he should win the award. Then again, he also tipped his hat to Shai for what he's done this season:

"This is my third or fourth year in a row, so, I’m really; I can’t control it,” Jokic said on March 11. “I will say I think I’m playing the best basketball of my life, so if that’s enough, it’s enough. If not, the guy deserves it. He’s really amazing.”

Shai is averaging a league-leading 33.0 points per game. He's also handing out 6.2 assists, pulling down 5.0 rebounds, and averages 1.8 steals, 1.0 blocks, and 2.2 three-pointers per game on 52/37/90 shooting splits. He's only missed two games this season.

Jokic, on the other hand, has averaged 29.1 points, 12.8 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 1.9 three-pointers per game on 57/41/80 shooting splits. He's on pace to become the first big man to average a triple-double for a season and just the third player in NBA history to do so. This is as close as it gets.