Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has leaned into his persona of apathy, content with giving the media the impression that he could not care less about basketball, he just so happened to be good at it. And for a second, many believed that even New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum was fooled by this mask Jokic tends to wear after remarking on his ESPN show that he doesn't believe that the two-time MVP can be a coach in the NBA because he doesn't exactly spend his free time attending to basketball matters.

In fact, McCollum seems to have heard enough backlash that he felt the need to post a clarification of his earlier statement on his official Twitter (X) account. In this retraction, the Pelicans guard clarified that he was merely joking, and that he has firsthand knowledge of just how big of a basketball brain the Nuggets star has.

“🤣🤣🤣 I was obviously joking and referencing him watching/ scouting horses on the bench next to Murray. He obviously watches film and is a basketball savant. Joker knows how I feel about his game so I’ll let this rest now,” McCollum wrote.

The Pelicans guard has witnessed himself just how dangerous a player Nikola Jokic is, so it's a bit of a wonder how some individuals took his statements the wrong way. Back in 2021, when CJ McCollum was still with the Portland Trail Blazers, Jokic carried the Nuggets on his back in their first-round matchup. During that series, Jokic scored 34+ points in four of their six games, demolishing the Blazers inside and out. That was also the series wherein McCollum accidentally stepped out of bounds, so that for sure is a memorable one for him.

Even then, Nuggets fans can't blame others for this perception towards Jokic, since The Joker himself seems to be perfectly content in lulling others into a false sense of security. It's very close to common sense that Jokic works hard on his game (no one becomes a two-time MVP, a Finals MVP, and a future Hall of Famer without legendary work ethic), and that he is a basketball savant due to how well he sees the court and how willing he is to make the right pass at the exact right moment.