Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic is the reigning NBA MVP, but he's not the player you see on the highlight reels every night like a LeBron James or Kevin Durant. The Joker isn't the most athletic nor does he make wild plays that draw the eyes of most fans nowadays.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone recently spoke about how Jokic slides under the radar, despite his massive numbers on a nightly basis. Via The Athletic's Sam Amick:
“You have to be a basketball fan, a true basketball fan, to appreciate Nikola’s greatness, his ability to make every one of his teammates a better player, his passing his IQ, his skill level, and he does it in a way that is not going to wow you until you look at the stat sheet, and you look at, ‘Oh, wow.”
“What he’s done the last three years for the Nuggets, as a whole, is just really, really incredible. And I wish people would just give him the credit and respect that he really deserves. It’s just remarkable that he maintains the consistency of greatness every single night.”
Malone certainly has a valid point. You're not doing to find a lot of players across the Association who are averaging 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 7.1 assists. He impacts the game in so many different ways and has basically kept the Nuggets afloat with the likes of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr currently sidelined.
Without The Joker, Denver would be at the bottom of the West. His brilliance has them at 17-16 which is good for fifth place. He might not look pretty doing it, but Nikola Jokic is undoubtedly one of the best around who deserves more credit. As Malone said, true NBA fans can appreciate his greatness.
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