It was your typical NFL Sunday with crazy finishes, the Eagles winning and the Cowboys losing a game they probably should have won. But the most impressive performance yesterday came on the hardwood.
Nikola Jokic put up a mind-boggling stat line of 40-27-10 yesterday against the Hornets. He is coming off of back-to-back MVP seasons, and honestly, he probably deserves a third this year. There is no team that has a bigger drop-off when their star is off the floor than the Denver Nuggets, and this was evident last night. The offense runs as a well-oiled machine when he is on the court, where everyone knows their role, how to cut, and where to stand. When Jokic subs out, the machine gets jammed up when a washed-up DeAndre Jordan subs in and can’t even catch the ball on a pick-and-roll.
Jokic was getting whatever he wanted, but his go-to attack was catching the ball either at or above the free-throw line, facing up, and dominating Nick Richards or Mason Plumlee. Whether it was an easy mid-range, a power dribble to a spin, or just throwing his shoulder into his man and getting to the middle for his baby hook/floater, he was unstoppable.
The main reason I love watching Jokic play is that he makes it look so easy. He uses angles and smart positioning to get the easiest looks possible. My favorite play of his is when he is off-ball and finds himself underneath the basket. Most post players in that situation get out of the lane to get to the baseline dunker spot, or go and situate themselves on the block and look for a post touch, but not Jokic. He uses this as an advantage and gets the defender on his back and pins them right underneath the basket, and he has such soft hands, his teammates just have to put it within a few feet of his massive frame, and it will either be an easy layup, or the defender will be forced to foul.
Maybe the most impressive thing that Jokic has done is completely saving Aaron Gordon’s career. I would love to do a deep dive on how many of Gordon’s points this year are assisted by Jokic, it has to be around 60%. In the rare occasion where he is not on the court with Jokic, he looks lost when he tries to dribble or shoot, but with Jokic, he plays perfectly off of him and is great at positioning himself under the hoop for easy dump-offs from the MVP. Just do yourselves a favor and watch these highlights from last night, or if you have time and NBA league pass, the all-possessions recap, and see the difference between the Nuggets when Jokic is on and off the court.
11am Sports 