NBA in Threes: Nikola Jokic and too much eating; LeBron rolling early
By Jade Johnson
Denver Nuggets
Sometimes losing isn’t the worst thing that can happen to a team. For instance, when one team’s style of play exposes weaknesses in another team’s game. In this case, the New Orleans Pelicans‘ pace of play exposed the Denver Nuggets‘ need to work on their defense.
Denver had issues with defensive communication in set, halfcourt situations but that wasn’t the worst of it. The Nuggets transition defense had no answer for the Pelicans’ fast-paced offense. At the 9:00 point of the second quarter, the Nuggets had been outscored on the fastbreak 5 to 20.
And since we’re talking about Denver’s inability to get back on defense against the Pelicans, am I the only one who noticed that Nikola Jokic doesn’t seem to be running the floor very well? As recently as Denver’s Media Day, Joker’s weight set Twitter all aflutter with hilarious and inventive nicknames. Alex Danish, Hakim Olajuwonmoredonut, Nick Van XL, Steph McFlurry, Shaquille O’Meal, and Entree Igudola made the shortlist of my favorites in a laugh until I cried browsing session.
https://twitter.com/nickfumes/status/1179522577397473280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1179522577397473280&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hotnewhiphop.com%2Fnikola-jokics-media-day-photo-prompts-hilarious-nicknames-from-nba-twitter-news.92288.html
On October 3rd, cbssports.com published an article saying that Jokic’s weight shouldn’t be a cause for concern. Um… really? If the 0-4 Pelicans’ can beat Denver by 15 points to walk away with their first win of the season, how easy will it be for teams to adopt a game strategy of, “all we have to do is speed it up a bit”?
Looking at the pace-of-play stats from nba.com so far this season, the top 15 teams would be in an excellent position to outpace the Nuggets based on the way they’re already playing. Beyond that are 5 to 8 teams that with just a few more possessions per game are going to be able to keep scores a lot closer than they should be.
In cbssports.com article quoted Jokic as saying:
"To be honest, I like to be a little bit heavier like how I am right now. I was lighter than this, say 15 pounds. But I didn’t feel right. Because the guys are pushing me, I was not that heavy, I was light. I just needed a little bit more weight to keep up with those guys."
I’m not even kind of buying this as a valid reason for the way Jokic is looking and moving right now. And the simple reason is the kind of weight Jokic is carrying. He reminds me of the Pillsbury Doughboy. It’s a scientific fact that muscle weighs more than fat. It’s also a scientific fact that fat is just dead weight whereas muscles are what help your body move around. If you add these two facts together, what conclusion can we draw?
If Jokic put on some muscle and lowered his body fat, he could simultaneously advance his ability to move around the floor and maintain the weight he likes for banging in the post.
What I think is that Jokic has subscribed to the Shaquille O’Neal school of conditioning. You know the one I’m talking about. Its motto is, “I’m so good I don’t have to be in shape.” Problem is, Nikola Jokic doesn’t have a Kobe Bryant to bail him out.