As the ball fell through the net Thursday night, the thought struck me: What is more impressive for Nikola Jokic — sinking a 73-foot shot or believing in Russell Westbrook?

On the court, Jokic remains inevitable. And nothing seems impossible. He enters Saturday averaging a triple-double at 30.2 points (third overall), 13.4 rebounds (third) and 10.1 assists (second) per game.

Absent voter fatigue or faulty logic, Jokic will win his fourth MVP award. It actually should be his fifth, but Troel Embiid whined his way to the trophy two years ago.

Of all the remarkable things Jokic has accomplished this season, however, having a vision for Westbrook in Denver ranks at the top of the list. Westbrook is on his sixth team in seven seasons, and it did not end particularly well with the Wizards, Lakers and Clippers. He struggled as a starter, lost his identity as a reserve and had his name besmirched with the Lakers.

As a Nugget, Westbrook has been reborn. Coach Michael Malone trusts the former MVP, telling him to be himself. And Jokic, beyond the mutual respect, loves Westbrook’s energy, passion and insatiable appetite for cutting to the basket. It is clear with every driving layup why Jokic pushed for Denver to add him this offseason.

“He makes it easy for me and I try my best to make the game easy for him,” Westbrook said.

This partnership has worked so well that Malone must keep starting him. It doesn’t have to be permanent, but the Nuggets are 6-0 with Aaron Gordon coming off the bench as a concession to his calf-related minutes restriction. And they are 12-3 over their last 15 games with Westbrook averaging 15.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists.

In a perfect world, Westbrook is a catalytic force as a sixth man. But watching him mesh with Jokic, Malone needs to let Russellmania play out in the starting lineup. There is just no escaping that Jokic and Westbrook are becoming the reason the Nuggets are so compelling.

Coaching Castle >> The AFC West is now the AFC Best. With the Raiders hiring Pete Carroll, every coach in the division has either won a Super Bowl or a college national championship. Carroll is 73, so the Broncos’ Sean Payton, 61, is now the youngest coach in the West.

VJ snubbed >> The Broncos’ newfound respect in NFL circles is not universal. Can someone please tell me how Vance Joseph was not among the five finalists for top assistant coach of the year? Joe Brady, Vic Fangio, Brian Flores, Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson received the nod. With all due respect, Joseph had a much stronger case than Glenn and Flores.

Mail time

Q >> Two things. No matter what the staff tells you, Jamal Murray is not the “heart” of the Nuggets. Secondly, Murray did not deserve the contract. The kicker is if Denver did not pay him, some other team would have.

Edward Kelly, email

Renck >> Whether he is the heart or not, Murray is the secret sauce. When he plays like a star, the Nuggets are a championship contender. It took him three months to hit his stride. They need him to play well, and it helps that he seems to finally understand the responsibility of his new contract. As for the deal, the Nuggets were in a tough spot. He earned the contract extension — see NBA title — and even if they wanted to move on, they had no obvious path to replace him.