Now that Nikola Jokic (and the Denver Nuggets) have won the NBA Championship, it’s fair to wonder if he’s the best player in the world.
Watching Nikola Jokic practically toy with the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals (and every other team in the playoffs on this run) was quite the image. For a player that certainly has his limitations on the defensive end of the floor, it didn’t matter.
No one had an answer for Jokic this season, not even the best coach in the NBA, Erik Spoelstra. Jokic controlled the series and forced the Heat’s bigs to play at his pace. They didn’t have an answer.
The only hope of stopping Jokic was hoping he would pick up a second foul before the end of the first quarter, picking up a third foul in the second quarter, or a fourth before the fourth quarter. That rarely happened. Bam Adebayo, who many consider to be one of the best big man defenders in the league, didn’t bother him at all.
Jokic made Bam look like just another guy on the defensive end. I can’t remember the last time that was said about Bam.
Now that he’s an NBA Champion, Jokic deserves his credit. And it’s time to have a serious conversation about where he ranks in the league.
Let’s look at his accomplishments. He has won two NBA MVPs (and probably should’ve won a third) and has now won an NBA Championship and a Finals MVP. He’s also coming off one of the most historic postseason runs in NBA history – averaging 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists per game on 55 percent shooting from the field and 46 percent shooting from 3-point range.
Nikola Jokic has become the first NBA player ever to lead the playoffs in total points, total rebounds, and total assists. Simply incredible.
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) June 13, 2023
The Nuggets are on top of the NBA world and Jokic is a big reason why. I don’t want to diminish the importance and brilliance of Denver’s supporting cast. That’s not what this praise of Jokic is about the Nuggets wouldn’t have won the title without the contributions of every player on their roster, especially Jamal Murray. But this is about giving Jokic his flowers.
For everyone that suggested Jokic was just a regular-season player, that can’t be the argument against him anymore. He did it in the playoffs and in the NBA Finals unlike anyone had ever done it before.
Jokic may not look the part but at this point, with everything he’s accomplished over the past three seasons, and with how dominating he continues to be, it’s hard to deny that he very well might quite possibly be the best player in the NBA.