There was a time when “skinny” Nikola Jokic was the talk of the NBA hiatus.
The Denver Nuggets' star big man dropped some pounds during quarantine, prompting some interesting questions as to how it could impact both his individual style and the team's offense going forward.
But Jokic joked after Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers he remains a deliberate offensive player because he lacks pace (via Mike Singer of the Denver Post):
“I’m patient because I cannot really run fast,” he said. “That’s my only option.”
Jokic's patience paid major dividends on Saturday, as the Nuggets defeated the Clippers 110-101 to even the series at one game apiece.
The All-Star center scored 26 points and pulled down 18 rebounds while also shooting 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. Jokic's lack of explosive athleticism has not prevented him from having sustained success as one of the best bigs in the game.
Jokic is a master at assessing opposing defenses from a position of strength. He can just as easily use post position to feed a cutting teammate at the rim, or choose to spin away from the help defense at get to the basket.”The Joker” waits for the defense to make an adjustment before making his own read.
Here, Jokic sense PG's help and decides to use the rim as defense for himself. pic.twitter.com/t5WFhvO9La
— Mike Singer (@msinger) September 6, 2020
The 25-year-old looms large in this series. Jamal Murray might have carried the Nuggets past the Utah Jazz in the first round, but he will be hard-pressed to replicate that performance against a staunch bunch of Clippers defenders on the perimeter.
However, Jokic should have the advantage–size or otherwise–on nearly all of L.A.'s bigs, and might be able to dominate the series inside.
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