What is Nuggets' record without Nikola Jokic? 

On the heels of the 2023 NBA MVP being announced, many are wondering what is the Nuggets' record without Nikola Jokic? Given that much of the talk surrounding the MVP debate has been about how teams perform without their superstars, let's take a look.

This season, Nikola Jokic played in 69 regular-season games for the Denver Nuggets. In his absence, the team posted a 5-8 record for a meager 38.5% win percentage. Although Jokic has managed to remain healthy for much of his career, it appears that when he doesn't play, the Nuggets struggle considerably.

Looking at the Nuggets' record without Nikola Jokic during the 2021-22 season, the team performed even worse. Last year they won just two games in Jokic's absence, while losing six for a 25.0% win percentage. In fact, the only time the Nuggets were able to put together a winning record in Jokic's absence was in 2015-16.

In his rookie year, Jokic missed just two games, however, the Denver Nuggets' record without Nikola Jokic that season was 2-0. Despite that, it's been clear that Jokic has impacted winning since he was a rookie.

Denver Nuggets v Brooklyn Nets

Michael Malone praises Nikola Jokic for impact on the NBA given the Nuggets' record without Nikola Jokic

Given that the Denver Nuggets' record without Nikola Jokic has far more losses than wins, it's no wonder that coach Michael Malone has praised him for his impact. Back in February, in the midst of a dominant season that saw the Nuggets take a commanding lead over the rest of the Western Conference, he sang Jokic's praises.

At the time, with Jokic averaging a triple-double, Malone believed that he was the clear-cut winner of the MVP award. He was quoted by BasketballNetwork as saying:

"He's the MVP; when the MVP goes out, and he averages a triple-double, he is currently impacting the game in a high level. He's gonna set the record for most assists by a center in NBA history, and he's gonna blow it out of the water."

Of course, as the season went on, it was Joel Embiid who managed to build momentum toward his own MVP campaign.

2022 NBA All-Star Game

(Suggested Reading: Making a case for Nikola Jokic as a Hall of Famer)

When comparing the Philadelphia 76ers' record without Embiid to the Denver Nuggets' record without Nikola Jokic, the numbers may be surprising. This season, Embiid played in 66 games, however, during his absence, the 76ers managed to put together an 11-5 record at a 68.8% win percentage.

Interestingly enough, when Embiid played this season, the team put together a 43-23 record for a win percentage of 65.2%.

The Denver Nuggets are currently up 2-0 in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, while the 76ers are up 1-0 over the Boston Celtics in the East. Should the two teams continue to win, and Embiid manages to stay healthy, many are hoping that the two dominant big men will square off in the finals.

Whether or not a head-to-head matchup in a seven-game series puts the MVP debate to rest in the wake of Embiid's win, only time will tell.