Averaged 31 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists per game, setting a new historical record! Winning can also make a difference, Jokic deserves a maximum salary of 400 million

The new NBA regular season has been open for more than two weeks, and the Western Conference has formed a format with one super team and multiple strong teams. The Thunder started with 9 wins in 10 games. In the absence of second-in-command Jiewei, they ranked among the top five in the offensive league plus the first defensive team in the league. In fact, there is no pressure on them in the regular season. Behind the Thunder are the Spurs + Nuggets + Lakers. Their records are not much different, but the gold content of the games is very different. Of course, there are still many so-called championship giants that went underwater as soon as the game started. For example, the Clippers had a lot of problems. Tyronn Lue refused to replace Collins in the starting lineup and continued to overdraft Harden. There are also the Warriors, who suffered from injuries at the beginning of the game. Curry and Butler's biggest enemy this season is definitely their own bodies. Many teams have high hopes to challenge the Thunder, but who is the most capable?

During the offseason, the Rockets, Clippers, and Nuggets have significantly strengthened their lineups. However, of the first two teams, one has no point guard, and the other only has one point guard, Harden. The Nuggets have won 7 out of 9 games since the start of the season. The two games they lost were one against the Warriors and the other against the Trail Blazers. But after that, they easily won four consecutive victories, defeating the Kings and Heat respectively, including a 25-point victory over the Warriors and a 17-point victory over the Pacers. In this wave of four consecutive victories, Jokic finally began to slowly exert his strength, averaging 31.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 13.3 assists per game, and his three field goal percentages were 70%+47%+87%! Jokic has scored triple-doubles in 6 of the 9 games he has played this season. The total number of triple-doubles in his career has reached 170, 72 of which were in the third quarter!

In addition, Jokic has scored 30+ triple-doubles with a shooting rate of 70% 11 times in his career, surpassing Chamberlain and officially rising to the top in history. During the offseason, the Nuggets cleared Porter Jr.'s max-salary contract in exchange for Cameron Johnson. Although his performance since the start of the game was average, Hardaway Jr. + Bruce Brown + Varan on the bench, combined with Watson, became the team's biggest surprise. Not only did it no longer cause the team to lose points, but it was able to seamlessly integrate Jokic's tactical system. So how scary are these Nuggets? Let’s look at a few sets of data. First of all, the Nuggets are first in the league this season with an average of 124.2 points per game, and fifth in the league with an average of 111 points conceded per game. They are first in the league in offensive efficiency of 122.7, second in the league in defensive efficiency of 109.7, and have a net efficiency value of +13.1, tied for first with the Thunder! Let me emphasize that these two teams are in the same league.

No other team's net efficiency value exceeds +10 (the Rockets and Spurs follow closely). This terrible dominance comes from Jokic. Jokic's PER this season is 35.4, the highest in NBA history. Although he only played for two weeks in a small sample, maintaining this efficiency will set a new historical record! In addition, when Jokic is on the court this season, the Nuggets' offensive efficiency is 128.1, their defensive efficiency is 109.4, and their net efficiency is +18.7; when Jokic is not on the court, the Nuggets' net efficiency per 100 rounds is -1.2. They really improved when Jokic rested! Because in the past three seasons, including the Nuggets championship season in 2023, when Jokic was not on the court, the team's net efficiency value was -9.2, with an error of no more than 0.3, which is already the bottom level in the league!

To put it simply, Varan averages 9 points per game + Hardaway Jr. averages 11 points per game + Watson averages 7 points per game + Bruce Brown averages 6 points per game. The substitute's average output of about 35 points per game has allowed Jokic to lead the team to the strongest dominance in the league and start to win while paddling. For example, in the win against the Suns, Jokic only scored 14 points in 8 shots, and Murray could solve the battle with a substitute; for example, in the 25-point victory over the Warriors, the fourth quarter entered garbage time, and Jokic was not even interested in a triple-double. The final data was fixed at 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists, 12 of 15! During the offseason, when the Nuggets signed consecutive substitutes who were ready to fight and hoped to renew Jokic's contract in advance, Jokic refused. In Jokic's own words, he hoped to finish next season.

According to salary regulations, Jokic has 3 years left on his current contract, with salaries of 55.22 million + 59.03 million + 62.84 million. In the last year with player options, he can complete a 4-year super maximum salary extension of US$293 million next summer. The first year of the new contract covers the original player options. Counting this season, Jokic can lock in a 400 million super maximum salary in the next 6 seasons! He is indeed worth the price. Since Jokic entered the MVP discussion in the 20-21 season and led the team to the top three in the Western Conference, his ability to guarantee the minimum limit is too strong. However, the Nuggets only won the championship in 23 years, and they dismantled the lineup after winning the championship. Last summer, they were blocked from the Western Conference Finals by the Timberwolves and this summer by the Thunder. There is really no one available on the bench.

Jokic certainly hopes to use this method to urge the team to remain competitive and pressure the team to continue strengthening operations next summer. What he can give the team is the only dominance in the league and a steady stream of wins. It's still based on his lack of effort. It is certain that the Nuggets' lower limit will not be bad this season, but there is still one final worry, which is Murray. Murray's four-year, 208 million super maximum salary contract is officially in the first year. This season's On-Off value is -1.3. The team performs better when he is not on the court. There are three gangs of heroes. Jokic's helpers in high-end games are indeed not many. It depends on how the Nuggets management will operate in the future.