When you think of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, what words come to mind when you think of how to best describe who he is as a player? Offensive savant? Passing genius? How about defensive mastermind? Some may doubt Jokic's defensive abilities. Frankly, the notion that Jokic is not a good defensive player is something that really irks Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.
“What gets tiresome is people criticizing Nikola’s defense because he doesn’t average three blocks per game,” Malone said. “But if you really are a basketball purist and you watch the game, you see he’s got some of the best hands in the NBA, bar none. … He’s never gonna out-athleticize anybody, but he is going to out-smart you. Tremendous anticipation. Great hands. And I think one of the most underrated defenders in the entire NBA.”
Malone does have a point. Just because Jokic's defensive numbers aren't popping off the stat sheet, doesn't mean he should be overlooked as a defender. In fact, in the Nuggets' comeback win against the Toronto Raptors, Jokic put on quite a defensive performance. On top of posting 35 points and 12 assists, Jokic collected a whopping 17 rebounds, as well as six steals and two blocks.
Jokic's defensive performance played a key role in the Nuggets comeback. At one point, the Nuggets were down by 22 and were playing pretty sluggish basketball. After halftime, the Nuggets decided to wake up and came storming back for the 125-119 win.
@katywinge with the final question for Michael Malone on the night: Who gets the defensive player of the game chain?
No chain for the game. Tonight it's the defensive player of the half. pic.twitter.com/WLyrHlgkBg
— Rachel Strand (@MileHighRachel) March 12, 2024
After wins, coach Malone usually hands out a defensive player of the game chain. With the Nuggets playing such poor defense in the first half, Malone decided that Jokic and Jamal Murray would share a ‘defensive player of the half' award for their efforts in the second half of the game.
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