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Nikola Jokic entered the 2021-22 NBA season as the reigning MVP of the league. Jokic has already established himself as arguably the greatest big man in today's NBA, as well as one of the best play-making centers in league history.
He is currently averaging 4.5 assists per game in the first few games of the 2021-22 campaign. Of course, Jokic did not play in the second half of his most recent game against the Utah Jazz due to a hit in the knee, and it did not help his numbers.
Still, an assist-per-game average of 4.5 would be the second-lowest of his entire NBA career, but we would not recommend betting on Nikola Jokic averaging under five assists this year or in any year during his prime.
3 Best Nikola Jokic seasons in the NBA based on assists per game
Nikola Jokic has averaged around six assists per game throughout his NBA career and 7.5 assists per game since becoming an All-Star for the first time (2018-19 season). During his MVP-winning season last year, Jokic put up the second-highest number of assists per game for a center in league history (8.3), only behind Wilt Chamberlain's NBA record of 8.6 in the 1967-68 campaign.
Even though Chamberlain owns the single-season record for assists per game by a center, Nikola Jokic has the highest assist-per-game average for a center in league history at 5.9 (among centers who have played over 400 games).
Chamberlain finished his career with 4.4 assists per game, which is great for a center and is a number that Jokic could finish close to, because such stats usually decrease at the end of an NBA career.
Jokic has finished in the Top 10 in terms of assists three times in his NBA career, and was third last season.
The Serbian center has put up 26.8 points, 13.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in four appearances this season. This article will touch on Nikola Jokic's abilities as a passer and give you his Top 3 NBA seasons in terms of average of assists per game.
#3 2019-20 NBA season
Nikola Jokic made it to his second All-Star Game during the 2019-20 season, and he definitely had a superstar-caliber campaign. The Serbian center averaged 19.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and seven assists per game in 73 appearances during that particular season.
Jokic also put up 52/31/81 shooting splits during the regular season and earned All-NBA Second Team honors. He finished 13th in terms of assists per game after the 2019-20 season and 18th in points.
Moreover, after leading the Denver Nuggets to the third seed of the Western Conference, Jokic finished ninth in the NBA MVP voting.
#2 2018-19 NBA season
The 2018-19 NBA season brought Nikola Jokic the first All-Star Game appearance of his career in the league. He also earned All-NBA First Team recognition for the first time on his NBA journey.
Jokic put up 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game in the 2018-19 regular season with 51/30/82 shooting splits. More importantly, he led the Denver Nuggets to the second seed in the Western Conference, which earned him a Top 5 finish in the NBA MVP voting (fourth place).
The 7.3 assists per game Jokic recorded during the 2018-19 regular season was his career-high in a single season at the time. It also ranked ninth in the NBA in assists per game, while he finished sixth in total assists with 580 (career-high at the time).
#1 2020-21 NBA season
Nikola Jokic's 2020-21 NBA campaign was extraordinary, and was obviously recognized by the Serbian winning the NBA MVP award with brilliant all-around numbers.
Jokic imposed himself as the best big man in the 2020-21 NBA campaign by averaging 26.4 points (career-high), 10.8 rebounds (career-high) and 8.3 assists per game and put up 56/38/86 shooting splits.
He had 16 triple-doubles and 28 games with at least 10 assists throughout the regular season. This included a career-high 18 assists against the Houston Rockets on December 28th, 2020.
His 8.3 assists per game was the sixth-best in the NBA, and Jokic led the league in Player Efficiency Rating, while finishing fifth in Offensive Rating. Jokic's 599 total assists are the highest of his career so far, and finished third in the league.
