Nikola Jokic is having one of the greatest seasons of all time. We have never seen a player lead the league in points, rebounds and assists per game for an entire season and yet Jokic is second, first and second in those categories.

Having what might be the best season of all time statistically, he is the favorite to win the MVP award. If the Nuggets manage to climb the standings, he will have his fourth MVP locked up by the All-Star Break. It also doesn’t mean other players are having MVP-caliber seasons.

If Nikola Jokic didn’t exist, there would be a closer race for MVP and the possibility of someone winning the award for the first time. Here are five players who could win their first MVP – without Jokic.

Karl-Anthony Towns was drafted to be the league’s future MVP, but in his nine seasons in Minnesota, he never came close. Then being traded to New York Knicksmany people were skeptical of his ability to improve the team. So far, he is playing like one of the best players in the league.

He averages 24.9 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.9 actions per game with shooting times of .529/442/.837. His rebounds and 3-point shooting are the best of his career. He is second in the league in rebounding and 17th in 3-point shooting percentage.

The Knicks are 15-10, which ranks them in the top eight in the NBA, with the number two offense and number six net rating. All of this is in direct correlation to how good Towns is. But everything he may not be considered the best player on the Knickshe’s certainly been one of the most impactful players in the league and his stats show he’s having an MVP caliber year.

During the first week of the season, Anthony Davis looked like the MVP but has since taken a slight step back. With the introduction of JJ Redick, Davis is still having one of, if not the best season of his career.

He is averaging 27.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals and two blocks per game with shooting times of .529/.320/.798. He ranks seventh in points and rebounds and sixth in blocks per game.

Despite the Los Angeles Lakers With a mediocre 13-11 record, the hallmark of Davis’ MVP bid is his defense. Davis has always been one of the best two-way players in the game and having one of the best seasons of his career, he could be the MVP if the Lakers string together more wins and Nikola Jokic never existed.

Luka Doncic averaged 34 points, nine rebounds and nine assists last year and finished third in MVP voting. This season, he’s not putting up numbers close to those, but he’s still having an MVP-caliber season.

He is averaging 28.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 2.1 steals with shooting times of .446/.344/.766. Surprisingly, these are some of the worst numbers of Doncic’s career, but several factors explain why. The first being that he played 19 games and was injured. Since returning from injury, his numbers are 28 points, 10.6 rebounds and 8.6 assists on a 48/40/72 split.

Despite its low numbers, the Dallas Mavericks are 16-9, which is the sixth-best record in the league. With the way Doncic has returned from injury, if he is able to maintain this level of play while maintaining the Mavericks’ spot in the standings, he could possibly steal the MVP away from Jokic.

Jayson Tatum was another player who looked like the potential MVP, but also faded a bit. After a championship run, where he shot poorly and was benched for the majority of the Olympics, Tatum used that to fuel the best season of his career.

He is averaging 28.2 points, a career-high 8.9 rebounds, a career-high 5.7 assists and 1.7 stocks on .453/.364/.800 shooting splits. Tatum scores the ball efficiently while also impacting the game with his passing.

THE Boston Celtics have the second-best record in the NBA at 19-5, the second-best offense and the ninth-best defense. Tatum leads the Celtics in points, rebounds and assists, a feat in itself for what is arguably the best team in the NBA. If it weren’t for the big statistical gap between Tatum and Jokic, Tatum could win his first MVP this season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished second in MVP voting, primarily for leading the youngest seed in league history. He leads the exact same team, without its second-best player, to the best record in the Western Conference and the third-best record in the NBA.

Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, a career-high 6.3 assists, 1.8 steals and a block while shooting .515/.340/.859. He is posting almost identical numbers to last season and yet he is leading his team to more victories.

THE Oklahoma City Thunder have a record of 19-5. They have the eighth-ranked offense, number one defense, and number one net rating in the league. Above all, while being one of the best offensive players, Gilgeous-Alexander plays fantastic defense.

For the second straight season, Gilgeous-Alexander is having the second-best season, meaning that if Nikola Jokic didn’t exist, he would most likely win the first MVP of his career.