Nikola Jokic has come into this new season with a vast array of improvements. Among them is a lethal three-point shot that has already added to an elite arsenal of skills at the center position.
The third-year big man is shooting an unreal 43.9 percent from deep this season through the first 11 games of the year — a major improvement of the 32.7 percent he averaged for the first two seasons of his career. What sparked such a drastic change? If you ask Jokic, he'll point back to his workout regimen in his native Serbia.
via Harrison Wind of BSN Denver
“I shot like a million shots this summer. Threes and twos and all kinds of shots, transition shots,” Jokic said from the Nuggets’ locker room after registering a career-high 41 points, 12 of which came on triples in Denver’s 112-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets. “I think I did a good job of working this summer. I kind of miss it because it was in my hometown and I had my godfather working with me and he was yelling at me. I kind of miss that. I think I did a really good job this summer.”
Ask further and Jokic lets on the simple, yet magic words his godfather drilled into him, turning him into an automatic mismatch on the perimeter.
“Make it! Make it! Make it!,” were the words of his godfather through constant reps of shots from all around the arc.
The words have surely have had an effect, as Jokic continues to shoot a healthy 53.5 percent from the floor despite doubling his attempts from beyond the arc, going from 1.9 per game last year to 3.7 — a change that other big men like Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, and DeMarcus Cousins have made to take their game to the next level.
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