Denver Nuggets: Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic leading the Nuggets to fantastic start

Nikola Jokic

Jokic is the real diamond in the rough on this Nuggets team given his unique talents for a 6 foot 10 center. He’s unbelievable under the rim and is second to Murray in points per game on the team, but his surprising talent is as a playmaker.

When’s the last time you saw a center lead a team in assists per game? Well, that’s the narrative with Jokic. He has recorded 7.8 assists per game this season, which is first among NBA centers as well. The next closest in Marc Gasol with four assists per contest. In Denver’s win over Toronto on Monday night, Jokic recorded a triple-double, finishing with 23 points, 11 boards, and a mind-boggling 15 dimes.

The Serbian has had seven games this season where he’s dished out double-digits in assists. He arguably has the best court vision of any player his size in the NBA and is also an enormous reason the Nuggets sit where they do currently. He also leads Denver in rebounds with 9.6 per game, a more expected skill set from a center. Jokic is shooting 47.5 percent from the field but does most of his scoring around the rim.

Jokic is the first center in 30 years to have 15 assists in one game and he’s already done that three times this season. We could be seeing one of the best big men playmakers ever right before our eyes. His ability to make the difficult pass, even no-look dimes, is unreal.

In Monday’s win over the Raps, he slung a no-look cross-court pass right into the hands of Jamal Murray for an open look three, leaving everyone in awe that a center just made a pass of such creativity. Take a look:

You can’t teach that type of playmaking ability. Nikola Jokic is a very special player in more ways than one.