Nikola Jokic will be the 2021 MVP

Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty ImagesNikola Jokic is going to be the MVP of the 2020-21 season, according to the results of a straw poll conducted by Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

While the Nuggets still have 17 games left to play, if Jokic is able to continue to perform at the level he has this season and avoid injury, he should be considered the favorite to claim the award. He would be the first Denver Nuggets player in league history to win the MVP award, and the first center to win MVP since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000.

Jokic is averaging 26.0 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game, while shooting 56.4% from the field, 41.8% on 3-point attempts, and 85.3% on free throw attempts. In a…