Charles Barkley: Nikola Jokic Is 'Front-Runner' for NBA MVP

Basketball Hall of Famer and TNT broadcaster Charles Barkley backed Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic as the early NBA MVP front-runner on Inside the NBA Thursday:

Jokic is averaging 18.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.5 steals in 30.9 minutes per game. The 7-footer leads a 21-9 Nuggets team that is first in the Western Conference and tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the league's second-best record.

Barkley makes a good point regarding Jokic's performance for a short-handed Nuggets team. Swingman Will Barton, who averaged 15.7 points per game, has only made two appearances. Shooting guard Gary Harris, who has missed nine games, is one of the best two-way players at his position. Power forward Paul Millsap, who has posted 13.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, has missed five contests.

Still, the Nuggets have the early Western Conference lead thanks in part to Jokic's efforts. For the season, the 23-year-old ranks eighth in player efficiency rating and is tied for seventh in win shares among all starters, per Basketball Reference.

Although Jokic is having a tremendous season, Barkley's opinion is a hot (or at least seasonably warm) take given the amount of elite talent on excelling teams, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors.

That being said, if the Nuggets continue their early-season pace, Jokic should stay in the MVP conversation into April.