JJ Redick's fiery response to Kendrick Perkins about Nikola Jokic's alleged “stat-padding” on Tuesday's edition of First Take quickly went viral. Once the former Boston Celtics big man returns to ESPN's set, rest assured he'll have a direct reaction to Redick's comments. Until then, Perkins' typically pointed critique of his colleague will have to suffice.
In a video posted to social media from his home on Tuesday, Perkins called out Redick for insisting Jokic doesn't care about individual numbers or accolades and defended his claim that Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid is the league's most deserving MVP candidate.
“No one is knocking what Jokic is doing as far as him having an unbelievable season. He's an unbelievable player. He's one of the most skilled players to ever play the damn game of basketball,” Perkins said, addressing Redick. “But don't you act like you wasn't in those locker rooms or didn't play with those players that were a point, two rebounds or assists away from having a triple-double, a double-double, hitting 50. It goes on all the time. It goes on all the time across the league, and it's okay…
“Just because I feel like Embiid should be in the conversation, should be the frontrunner because he affect both ends of the floor, I'm wrong?” he continued. “I watched Embiid go [7-for-25] from the field but still dominate the game with [19 rebounds], six blocks, four of them in the second half, when they played like two games ago. I just seen a different impact. I ain't wrong for that, know what I'm saying?”
Redick drew the ire of Perkins after forcefully pushing back on the notion that some of Jokic's awe-inspiring numbers are the result of him intentionally seeking them out. While the Denver Nuggets superstar has largely avoided that critique, unlike fellow triple-double maven Russell Westbrook in years past, Perkins has recently taken it upon himself to prop up that narrative while championing Embiid's MVP case.
One factor Redick ignored in his dissection of Perkins' remarks about Jokic? Unlike Westbrook's teams during the multiple seasons he averaged a triple-double, the Nuggets boast arguably basketball's best offense—either the byproduct of Jokic's insane production or just a happy coincidence.
Regardless, there's no denying the singular force driving Denver's success. The Nuggets are a remarkable 26.8 points per 100 possessions better with Jokic on the floor this season, easily the best mark in the league, per Cleaning the Glass.
No matter what side of the Jokic-Embiid argument you fall on, go ahead and clear your schedule come Wednesday. Kendrick Perkins, it appears, won't be letting JJ Redick get the last word in their MVP argument once he's back on air.
“But I'll tell you this much,” Perkins said in his video, “I'm gonna see you tomorrow with your little Elvis Presley-lookin' a**, and boy I'm coming right at you. Carry on.”
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