NBA | The Denver Nuggets are more than Nikola Jokic

Jokic didn’t get his third MVP title in a row this year, losing to Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), but in the play-offs it is the Serb who is in the final, while his rival also because of his own poor performance is already out. Jokic, on the other hand, is far from poor performance, the opposite is the case: the 2.11 meter giant delivers numbers that have never been seen in the NBA before.

30 points/17 rebounds/17 assists, 53/4/11, 29/13/12, 32/10/12, 34/21/14, 23/17/12, 24/6/8 and 30/14/13 – and that with a throw rate of almost 60 percent. Jokic’s stats from the past eight playoff games, six of which Denver have won, are impressive – yet he is often labeled “boring” because of his lack of athleticism. He is neither particularly fast nor does he tend to make spectacular dunks.

What the man accomplishes every day is incredible, finally give him the respect he deserves.

Nuggets-Coach Michael Malone

Criticism that Nuggets coach Michael Malone doesn’t like to hear, probably because after Denver games the US media preferred to report on the opponents than on the Nuggets. “The narrative wasn’t about Nikola and his historic achievement, the narrative was about the Lakers and their adaptations,” the 51-year-old lamented after the second win against LA, adding: “What the man achieves every day is unbelievable, give him the respect he deserves.”

Jokic, on the other hand, likes it. “I appreciate it and enjoy it,” the Serb told the Denver Post when asked about the lack of appreciation for the team. The 28-year-old can do relatively little with the media hype about himself anyway. A lack of appreciation is also something that Jokic has pursued half his life. However, it turned out to be a stroke of luck that he was once neither employed by Red Star nor Partizan in Serbia.

“He was young, physically not in good shape, needed time,” his agent Misko Raznatovic recalled in a podcast, stressing that “big clubs would not have had patience with him”. However, he was able to develop at Mega Basket from the tranquil town of Sremska Mitrovica before jumping across the pond – and staying under the radar again.

From Taco Bell and Wilt Chamberlain

Caution: LeBron James runs towards Nikola Jokic.
Getty Images

The story is almost legendary that the broadcaster ESPN switched to a commercial for Taco Bell in the 2014 draft when Jokic was picked in 41st position. In the meantime, the fast-food chain should be happy if reports about it or even the corresponding video is shown – free advertising every time.

In the following years, however, Jokic made advertising on its own behalf, even revolutionizing the center game. The Big Man, also known as the “Joker” in the USA, made a name for himself as possibly the best center passer in history.

In the beginning he struggled with weight problems and poor defense – nowadays that only plays a minor role, but he will probably never receive the award for “Defensive Player of the Year”. Jokic’s greatest strength is his understanding of the game, his versatility on offense. He is good at three-pointers, from the high and low post, he can also do free throws – and has even created his own throw with the “Sombor Shuffle”.

He sees moves before they happen.

LeBron James on Nikola Jokic

That’s not all, because if he’s doubled, he almost always sees the free man and plays the deadly pass. Jokic makes each of his teammates better, acting as a kind of playmaker for the Nuggets – it was also an assist that led to him breaking a 56-year-old NBA record in the 113-111 win in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the LA Lakers -surpassed legend Wilt Chamberlain – it was his eighth triple-double in the postseason; Chamberlain had managed seven in 1966/67.

“There are few players who can play the game that way. His ability to make baskets, rebounds and throws makes it always difficult to defend him. He sees plays before they happen. There are only a few players like him,” said none other than LeBron James personally about the 28-year-old.

Nikola Jokic: “Family first”

Unsurprisingly, Jokic was voted Western Finals MVP, but that may not matter too much to him. He doesn’t think much of individual awards anyway, he’s emphasized that again and again in recent years, and he also openly admits that “basketball isn’t the most important thing in my life – and it probably never will be. To be honest, I think so I do that well because I know I have more important things to do at home.”

The down-to-earth center means his family, which always has priority for him. But that doesn’t mean that Jokic doesn’t feel like playing basketball. He certainly has – and he can fulfill his dream of winning the championship this year. The Big Man knows all too well that this can’t be done alone, because basketball is about being successful as a team – and indeed, that’s the Denver Nuggets.

The Nuggets are more than Jokic

The Nuggets ended the regular season first in the west – and then eliminated both the highly traded Phoenix Suns around Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in six games and then the Lakers with a healthy Anthony Davis and LeBron James by sweep.

How did the nuggets do it? Jokic is the only All-Star on Malone’s team. However, the 51-year-old knows another player in his ranks who is delivering like an All-Star in these play-offs: Jamal Murray. In the play-offs, the guard has an average of 27.7 points, 6.1 assists and 5.5 rebounds and provided relief when Jokic was weak. Murray missed last season completely due to injury, and the Nuggets sorely missed their second-best player. Now the proven play-off performer is back.

There are also players like Aaron Gordon, who once didn’t really cope with the pressure of expectation in Orlando, but now shines in his role as scorer number three or four behind Jokic and Murray – the 27-year-old also ensures one with his regularly interspersed dunks higher entertainment value, but his defensive qualities are likely to be of greater importance, especially when it comes to stopping opposing offensive stars.

The Nuggets also have another excellent defender in Christian Braun, but he doesn’t score as well as the rest of the team. In contrast to Michael Porter Jr., who always poses a great threat at the three-point line. From the second row, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Small Forward) and Bruce Brown Jr. (Power Forward) are also important pieces of the puzzle in the Nuggets collective, which is one thing above all: a collective.

The bottom line is that this is Denver’s big secret: Unlike many other teams that rely on one, two or three stars and often only fill up the rest of the roster spots, Denver put together a team that is coordinated with each other and each other very well complemented. The coming days and weeks in the finals series against the Miami Heat will show whether that will be enough to win the first championship in franchise history.