“Jokic? He’s a poor man’s Boris Diaw”

What Nikola Jokic is doing with the Nuggets is absolutely fantastic, since he is clearly revolutionizing his position with a unique passing quality. But that, nobody could predict when he arrived in the NBA, the proof with this analysis carried out by a scout a few months before the 2014 Draft. He saw the Serb as a fake Boris Diaw…

Nikola Jokic has already established himself as one of the best pivots of all time, he who has two MVP titles to his name, more than Shaquille O’Neal For example. If he is not as physically dominant, the interior of the Nuggets revolutionizes his position thanks to his science of the pass and his vision of the game out of the ordinary. For the first time in history, a 2m10 player can take on the playmaker costume.

If the talent has always been present, it was absolutely impossible to predict that the Serb would become the monster he is today, that he could find a place in a league where athletic qualities are supposed to be queens. He does not run fast, on the contrary, he never jumps, even to take rebounds, and yet he is totally unstoppable in the racket.

Lunar report scouting on Nikola Jokic in 2014

This non-existent athlete side is the reason why he slipped to 41st place in the 2014 Draft. The scouts did not really see the genius in him, the proof with this rather lunar report today on the former prospect of Mega Basket. This observer, whose name has not been given on social networks, did not believe that Nikola Jokic would one day become a starter in the league:

Biggest draft steal in nba history https://t.co/0DasnPeohS pic.twitter.com/LUBANfx6Zx

— Automatic (@automaticnba) May 24, 2023

Poorly athletic players can survive in the NBA and even have important roles. If Jokic can be a good shot and make the right decisions when he has the ball, he could become a poor man’s Boris Diaw and a Pero Antic behind the arc.

Jokic would probably be the 4th or 5th attacking option whenever he enters the pitch, but all that matters is whether he can be effective. Unfortunately, his defense should prevent him from playing 30 minutes per game at any point in his career or even starting. But there is no shame in being a substitute in a winning team.

Nikola Jokic’s quality of passing has always been obvious, even this scout recognized that he could become a Boris Diaw-style facilitator… For the rest, the predictions couldn’t be worse. Not only does he start in Denver, not only does he play more than 30 minutes, but he is the man through whom all the balls pass! He’s not the best defender, admittedly, but he makes up for it by being one of the best forwards in history.

Nikola Jokic is a monster, and no one could really predict him when he arrived in the NBA. While his career is far from over, he is already the best player in the 2nd round of the Draft in history!