Nikola Jokic is doing the impossible

After winning 3 MVPS in the last four seasons, Nikola Jokic has managed to take his production up another level for the short-handed Denver Nuggets, continuing to cement his status as the unquestioned best player in the league and one of the greatest players of all time.

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24 comments

  2. I think the MVP would probably be SGA this season because how well OKC record will be but if Denver finishes top 3 seed you shouldn’t count out the possibility that Jokic might get another MVP again.
    Mavs is still figuring out who they are but if they somehow can get top 4 seed Luka will be a strong candidate too.
    Basically I think is SGA Jokic and Luka three man race in my opinion.

  3. Jokic is the quintessential generational player in the league, & nobody else is close. The comparisons to Wilt Chamberlain are not unwarranted.

    Having said this, like most of the media coverage on the Nuggets, this video is pretty misleading about the rest of this team. Denver did shoot the fewest 3 pointers in the NBA last year, but they also had the 10th highest three point shooting percentage. This same group of players now being maligned as bad shooters lead the NBA in FG% in their championship year in 2022-23 & were 4th in 3 point percentage. It's not true that they can't shoot. They weren't passing on the 3 point shot last year because they couldn't make them, they were doing so because Joker's passing opens the path to the bucket up like no point guard in the NBA can. As a 7 foot point center, he sees over everyone & has mastered the angles for cutters from every spot on the floor & even with his back to the basket can make no-look passes into the paint simply because he knows where his teammate are at without even looking. Passing out of the high post where he sees the entire floor, it's virtually impossible to guard these guys from getting easy shots in the paint. There's no need to build an offense on 3 point shooting when you can make easier shots. In 2023-24 they finished 4th in the NBA in FG percentage & 3rd in total assists, which is a barometer for a team scoring efficiently. They lead the NBA in 2 point attempts & were 7th in 2 point percentage. They also did all this while hardly ever getting calls from the referees. Only 5 teams shot fewer free throws last year than Denver. Why? Because the Nuggets had so many clear shots at the basket that they weren't taking bad shots in traffic & drawing fouls. They were putting up uncontested layups with defenders out of position or trailing the shooter after Joker found them cutting to the rim or all alone for some other kind of easy shot.

    The Nuggets also do not have "inferior supporting talent", they have YOUNG talent. Unlike other teams that build a roster off signing expensive free agents, this one is home grown for the most part & relies on developing talent from within, but Michael Malone doesn't play rookies until they're playing defense, which has been a source of fan criticism, but he's been proven to be right. While the rest of the Nuggets roster gets very little respect there is a rising group of young guys on this roster that is perfectly suited for what Jokic does & it's only unknown to the league because these guys haven't been trusted with more extensive roles until now. The crop of Peyton Watson, Christian Braun, Julian Strauther & next year…DaRon Holmes…is VERY talented. Braun's performance this season is an indication. While everyone was bemoaning the loss of KPC, Braun is destroying him across every statistical category. He's only slightly behind as a defender & at 6'6", 220 pounds, he's a bigger, stronger version of KCP who already does most things as well or better than him. This time last year, nobody knew who he was or knew him only as the rookie who came off the bench in the NBA finals to play good defense. Now he's notching 16.6 ppg/5.3 reb & shooting lights out with an eFG% of 64.2% despite nearly doubling his 3 point attempts. We see similar improvement coming from these other guys also. The development process in Denver works. In the game last night, Peyton Watson played the 5 spot. Malone praised his performance there. P-Wat is already nearly at the level of an ALL-Defense caliber NBA wing & a lock down defender who can guard all 5 spots on the floor. Instead of hearing about that, all we hear about is that he's a bad shooter.

    The Nugget's shooting woes in the first few games have also been overblown. This team runs a free flowing offense with very few set plays. That requires timing & cohesion that is slower to build, which is why they sometimes start the year slowly. Analysts seizing on this after a few games is silly. Denver has much better shooters than they are credited with simply because these young guys are all in Michael Malone's school of development & having to earn minutes by getting better on defense. And that is exactly what they're doing. Christian Braun is shooting 50% from three point range. Julian Strauther is shooting 47% from there, Michael Porter Jr. 41.4%, Aaron Gordon is at 54.5% & Jokic himself is at 52.8. Also, while Jamal Murray has struggled early with a 33.3% three point ball, that's been due to him dealing with some nagging injuries & the fact that he's traditionally been a slow starter. Last year he canned the three at a 42.5% rate. For reference….most of these three point shooting percentage numbers are higher than what Steph Curry has shot over the course of his career from 3 point range. The idea that nobody on this team can shoot is is simply false. It's true that Joker sets them up for open shots, & it's also true they are making them at a high rate.

    The bench woes are the product of young kids who still aren't ready, but by playing they are GETTING READY. Come playoff time, it will pay dividends.

  8. We are witnessing oneof greatest player ever played! Dude is record breaker on daily basis… Incredible consistency, and amazing defense improved in last 2 seasons make him beast on both sides, defense isn't only flashy blocks ..

  17. He is NOT HUMAN… it's as simple as that Wilt Kareem Shaq & Lebron all rolled up in one😅…AND not to mention being grossly underated as a defender not a shot blocker but he doesn't give much ground around the basket…like I said NOT HUMAN!🔥😱😱💯💯

  21. I still don't get the russel Westbrook signing. He's not the same player and he can't shoot. We need to make a move, murray and porter need to be available. They can't stay healthy and jokic is in his prime.

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