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There is no denying that Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets is one of the best big men in the game today. The Nuggets absolutely found themselves a gem in the Serbian national when they selected him 41st overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.
As it turns out, Jokic's stock plummeted during the draft, which was reportedly caused by question marks pertaining to the 7-foot big man's commitment to the game. This is via John Hollinger of The Athletic.
There were a lot of questions about Jokic. Could he guard anybody or would he just get pick-and-rolled to death in the NBA? Was he just OK as a shooter, or would his pick-and-pop game be a real weapon at the NBA level? Did he even like basketball? Even people close to him wondered this – Jokic had grown up riding horses and didn’t exactly seem committed to a grueling fitness regimen.
To be fair, those were some pretty valid concerns. Apparently, more than a few teams were not willing to buy in on Jokic some six years ago, but the Nuggets tried their luck anyway. Boy did their gamble pay off.
At this point, the part about Jokic's fitness regimen remains to be an issue. He does not exactly possess what most would refer to as an NBA body, which does raise some concern about his commitment to achieving an optimum fitness level.
Then again, you could look at this from a different perspective. As it is Jokic is already playing at an elite level. Just imagine how good he would be once he puts on some muscle. Now whether or not this is something that will happen is an altogether different matter.
