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Nikola Jokic is having the best season of his career. This is good reason why he is the favorite to win the MVP trophy this season. Jokic has been dominant, as he has showcased his all-around skills that make him the gold standard of the modern center. With Jokic’s playmaking and scoring combined with his size, no opposing big man has really stopped the Serbian star.
However, there are still a handful of big men who teams can still throw at Jokic to at least slow him down. For this piece, let’s take a look at five players who can stop the MVP candidate.
5. Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard isn’t the three time Defensive Player of the Year we know anymore. However, despite already past his prime, no one can forget how Howard bothered Jokic in the Western Conference Finals series last year. Although Jokic still got decent numbers in the series, averaging 21.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game, Howard’s presence limited the Joker. With Howard’s physicality coupled with some trash talking, Nikola Jokic struggled with foul trouble in the series. In fact, Howard’s impact off the bench was key in the Lakers’ success against the Nuggets.
With Howard playing for the Sixers this year, it would only be until the Finals before these two behemoths clash again. And certainly, Jokic will surely flash his more improved MVP form this time around. However, that would only be possible if these two teams make it to the Finals.
4. Deandre Ayton
It wasn’t long ago that Ayton was considered a raw big man that had potential. However this year, Ayton is starting to prove to everyone that he can be an elite center. In the ongoing Suns-Lakers series, the Bahamian center has thrived despite going against the star-studded frontline of the Lakers that includes Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, Montrezl Harrell, and Marc Gasol. In his playoff debut, he is averaging 17.4 points and 12.2 rebounds per outing. He also became one of only four players to accumulate at least 75 points and 50 rebounds in the first four career playoff games.
By thriving against the Lakers’ formidable bigs, there’s no doubt Ayton can also give Jokic a workout. In the last Suns’ game against the Nuggets that reached double overtime, Ayton prevented the Joker from reaching his usual averages by holding him under 30 points on nine of 21 shooting. Although Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets still got the win, the Serbian center was impressed with Ayton’s development.
In the postgame conference, Nikola Jokic said “He’s amazing. Give the guy credit. He’s amazing. He’s really solid. He knows like what he needs – I think that’s the best thing a young player can have: that mindset. He play(s) really good defense. He stopped me five, six, seven, eight times. Give that guy credit. He was really good tonight.”
With the Suns threatening to eliminate LeBron James and the defending champs in the first round with a 3-2 lead, an Ayton and Jokic matchup could be on the horizon especially if Jokic and the Nuggets take care of business against the Blazers.
3. Jusuf Nurkic
Nurkic and Nikola Jokic could’ve been a deadly twin tower combination had Denver kept the former in the team. But speaking of the Blazers, the team has been staying afloat in their ongoing series against the Nuggets thanks to Damien Lillard’s hot shooting and Nurkic’s defense on Jokic.
In Game Four of the series, Nurkic slowed down Jokic as the latter only finished with 16 points on just 38.9% shooting and a +/- of -32. The Bosnian Beast’ strong defense against Jokic proves that he is only one of the handful of centers who can limit the MVP favorite.
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Unfortunately, Nurkic has been struggling with foul trouble, which is why the Nuggets have been ahead in this series. In fact, he fouled out in Games Two and Three which ended up in losses for Portland. The Blazers have a legitimate “stopper” in Nurkic to force Jokic to make tough shots. However, they need to keep him on the floor for as long as Jokic is playing, and that is a riddle that the Blazers need to overcome.
2. Marc Gasol
If there is a big man who is equipped to stop Nikola Jokic, it would be Marc Gasol. Although already in his declining years, the former Defensive Player of the Year can still clip the wings of The Joker. Gasol can be a nightmare matchup for modern day centers with his ability to space the floor and make timely passes. And on the opposite end of the floor, he is a disciplined defender that knows how to position himself well.
It wasn’t long ago that Gasol put up a defensive masterclass against Joel Embiid, as the Spanish center held down the elite center to 0 points on a nightmare 0-11 shooting. Although Embiid and Jokic are different players, there is no doubt that Gasol has also given The Joker a difficult time. In the Lakers’ last game against the Nuggets, Gasol mostly defended the MVP favorite. It was one of the rare games where Jokic finished the game with under 50% shooting, and shot the ball from rainbow country at a poor 25% this season. As a result, Jokic even praised the former Defensive Player of the Year.
Surely, the Lakers signed Gasol during free agency, with the expectations that he can replicate what Howard did to Jokic in the Western Conference Finals last season. Unfortunately for Gasol and the Purple and Gold, they will first have to worry about pushing their series against Phoenix to seven games if they want to stay alive and to meet Jokic and the Nuggets in the next round.
1. Joel Embiid
If there is a center that can stand toe to toe against Nikola Jokic, it would be fellow MVP candidate Joel Embiid. Like Jokic, Embiid is having the most productive season of his career. Furthermore, he also makes a legitimate case as the best center in the NBA today. It is worth noting that Embiid and Nikola Jokic are both in a tight race to win the MVP award this year which makes one of them possibly the first center to win the award since Shaq during the ‘99-‘00 season.
Embiid’s physicality and defensive prowess will certainly bother Jokic. Sure enough Jokic will probably get his usual MVP numbers, given his wide offensive arsenal, but The Joker will have to work extra hard to accumulate them if Embiid is his matchup.
Aside from the Sixers star’s physicality, Nikola Jokic will have his hands full in defending Embiid. With Embiid’s polished post-up game, Jokic will have to exert extra effort in protecting the paint. And if the Joker gives him space in the perimeter, Embiid has the ability to knock it down from mid-range all the way to beyond the arc.
Although it seems like an intriguing playoff matchup, with Embiid belonging to the Eastern Conference, things will have to fall into place for these two MVP favorites to meet in a seven game series. However given how dominant these centers are playing, it is certainly possible for this to happen. And should this happen, Embiid will arguably be the biggest antagonist to Jokic’s greatness.
