In the 2018-19 season, Nikola Jokic finished fourth in MVP voting. He averaged a double-double in points and rebounds with a healthy 7.3 assists per game. He was the catalyst for the team en route to their second-best record in the conference. Heading into the 2019-20 season, there were people that had him as a dark-horse candidate to be a contender to win the MVP this year.
The MVP race ended up being a two-horse race between LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo. That doesn’t mean Jokic was never in it. In mid-December, he was playing like a true MVP.