Nikola Jokic. Two-time NBA MVP. Now NBA Finals MVP. Unstoppable. That’s the article. Thanks for coming. I’ll leave you with this here.
And this one.
And this one to put the LA Lakers away in a playoff sweep.
Ok, this article is trying to convince you that Nikola Jokic is the best basketball player in the world and you should stop sleeping on his Denver Nuggets. Still not convinced? Ok, how about this?
Nikola Jokic Treats the NBA as a Regular 9-5
Isn’t that wild? Imagine you found a job posting on LinkedIn. Contract work. Decent pay. About 50 percent mandatory travel. High bar for qualification, but you apply and get a low-level position (mid second round pick) in a department (Denver Nuggets) that has never accomplished anything in the organization. You excel at your job so much that you put your department on the map. You collect all the end-of-year awards. Your coworkers love you. But you don’t care. You just want to go home at the end of the day.
Sounds like me on a Friday afternoon. This is just a day job for Nikola Jokic. He has hobbies and stuff outside of work.
His Real Love Is Horses and Horse Racing
Tell me, who does that remind you of? Can you think of a guy in NBA history who was dominant on the court but seemed to enjoy gambling or other off-the-court entertainment just as much? Psst… it’s your G.O.A.T. Michael Jordan.
What about a player who didn’t win his first title until his late twenties? Now with pieces in place and no one in the league that matches up with him, Jokic can string together a dynasty. And he is crazy popular in his hometown. Remind you of another hometown (future Hall-of-Fame) superstar? Psst… it’s your G.O.A.T. LeBron James.
Still not convinced? Ok.
Nikola Jokic Facts
Hall-of-Famer Wilt Chamberlain possesses some of the wilder stats in the league’s history, especially for a center. In this non-MVP season, Nikola Jokic went out of his way to break some of those—no, not the 100-point game. Jokic is way too talented a passer to go for 100.
Chamberlain held a 56-year-old NBA record for assists per game for a center (8.6). Jokic destroyed that with 9.8 assists per game. Jokic also crushed Chamberlain’s career triple-double record (78). He quite nearly averaged a triple-double for the season. Jokic joins Wilt Chamberlain and Hall-of-Famer Elgin Baylor as the only players in NBA history with a 35-25-10 (points, rebounds, assists) game. He had ten games last season with 20-15-10, more than the entire league combined (six). Only two other players in NBA history had ten games in a season with those stats. Wilt Chamberlain and Hall-of-Famer Oscar Robertson.
Epic Postseason
Jokic saved his best for the playoffs. For the postseason, Jokic snagged Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA record for most triple-doubles. Jokic threw in a career-high 53-point game (the most in Nuggets history). He is the first player in NBA history with a 30-20-10 game in the NBA Finals. He is the first player in NBA history to lead the postseason in total points, rebounds, and assists.
So to sum all that up, Nikola Jokic is pretty damn good—apologies for drowning you in the numbers. I’ll throw you a life raft.
Nikola Jokic Life Story
Nikola Jokic is one of the humblest guys in the league. As mesmerizing as he is on the court, he leads a relatively quiet life off of the court. Jokic married his high school sweetheart, and they have a young daughter. He grew up close to his two older brothers and his parents in Serbia. His brothers came to live with him when he was drafted, but the baby brother still misses home.
Jokic was asleep in Serbia when he was selected in the NBA draft. He takes that approach with most things basketball. When it’s time to work, he puts in the time and works hard. In the offseason, he improves every part of his game and routinely returns with another layer of craftiness and skill. Jokic doesn’t take to gloating after victories, either. I appreciated how he shook the hand of every member of the Heat that he could find after the gentleman’s sweep of my favorite team. His lack of enthusiasm after the Finals was very Nick Saban-like. Like Jokic plans on winning more than one title and looks forward to the work of returning to the mountaintop. Best player in the world material.
In Summary
Your favorite team made changes on the margins this summer. Barring the announcement of a spectacular trade for superstar point guard Damian Lillard, the biggest news for most teams will be that they re-signed the players they had last year. They will roll the ball out there again—still, no one to match up with Jokic.
Fred VanVleet was the biggest name to switch uniforms, and the lowly Houston Rockets gave him the maximum allowed to make it happen. That doesn’t flip the title odds. Bradley Beal, the latest Kevin Durant sidekick on the Phoenix Suns, doesn’t move the needle. Boston picked up Kristaps Porzingis. Cool. They also signed their second-best player to the largest contract in NBA history. Poor money management. Plus, they kept the youngest coach in the league. It does not inspire confidence to know that Jimmy Butler eliminated your head coach while they both played in college and did it again in this year’s playoffs.
Whether it’s salary fears from the new CBA, an NBA coaching carousel that yields no innovative gameplay, or just a lack of Victor Wembanyama-sized players, the Nuggets will beat your team again. And Nikola Jokic, the best player in the world, will be dancing with yet another trophy.
Nikola Jokic is a horse racing champion ? pic.twitter.com/ZXF8J20N3S
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 24, 2023
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1 Comment
I love how Jokic treats it like a job. He treats it just like they would treat him if he didn’t perform, like a business transaction. His level of enthusiasm is only palatable because he is great though. Lol