On Wednesday evening, Nikola Jokic put together one of the most dominant games you will ever see with a 55-point explosion against the Los Angeles Clippers to help push the Denver Nuggets' record on the young 2025-26 NBA season to an impressive 9-2. 25 of Jokic's points came in the first quarter alone, and the outburst further solidified the three-time league MVP's status as the best player alive, in case anyone was in need of a reminder.
On Thursday's episode of “NBA Today,” ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins made a bold claim about Jokic by comparing him to another historically great NBA center.
“[Nikola Jokic] makes [Hakeem] Olajuwon's great games look like regular games… He's the most skilled player to ever play the game… He's the best center I've seen in the last 20 years,” said Jokic, per NBA on ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.
Indeed, Jokic has already surpassed Olajuwon in most contemporary pundits' eyes on the all-time list of greatest big men, but performances like Wednesday's only serve as further evidence for those claims.
A hot start for the Nuggets
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets have shaken off a frustrating season-opening loss to the Golden State Warriors by reeling off wins in nine out of their last ten games, pushing their record to 9-2 in the process.
As Jokic continues to dominate, new teammates Cam Johnson and Tim Hardaway Jr. seem to be growing more comfortable in their new threads, particularly Hardaway, who had a hot shooting night on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Overall, the Nuggets are doing their best to keep pace with the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who have only lost one time so far this year and have yet to have their second best player, Jalen Williams, in uniform.
In any case, the Nuggets will next take the floor on Saturday evening for a road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
