Nikola Jokic becomes first Nuggets player since Ty Lawson to win Western Conference Player of the Week

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Nov. 6 through Nov. 12, the league announced Monday.

Over those seven days, Jokic averaged 22.7 points, 13.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.3 steals and captained the Nuggets to a 3-0 record with wins over the Brooklyn Nets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Orlando Magic with an average margin of victory of 11.3 points.

The Detroit Pistons’ Tobias Harris was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

The highlight of Jokic’s week was a career-high 41 points against the Nets in a 112-104 victory where the 22-year-old shot 16-25 from the field, 4-9 from three and finished with 12 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks. Jokic also nearly recorded his first triple-double of the season against the Magic and finished with 12 points, 17 rebounds, and nine assists.

Jokic is the 17th player in franchise history to win the award and the first since Ty Lawson who took home honors in March of 2016.

After opening the 2017-18 season with a combined seven points across his first two games, Jokic is averaging 19.7 points on 54.2 percent shooting from the field, 45.2 percent from three, 12.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He’s also ranked 12th in the league in Player Efficiency Rating, 5th in Value Over Replacement Player, and 6th in Win Shares per 48 Minutes.

Not bad for someone who doesn’t know who else is in his own division.