Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic’s much-improved defense

Nikola Jokic has come a long way on the defensive end of the ball and has been a key part of the Denver Nuggets defensive improvement as a team.

A lot has been made about Nikola Jokic’s defensive ability. The slow-footed Denver Nuggets big man has constantly been labeled a liability on defense throughout his career.

It typically comes in waves — most commonly when the Nuggets get a prime time game. The most recent case came Thursday against Utah.

The Nuggets didn’t quite get it done against the Jazz. But, as a unit, their defense was pretty solid.

Most likely by now, however, you’ve seen this video of Nikola Jokic in the fourth quarter.

Naturally, that’s the play that found its way around the internet. Jokic getting burned on the pick-and-roll late in the game — while playing with five fouls.

It wasn’t Jokic’s finest effort. But this season, he’s far from the defender he was when he came into the league. He’s come a long way from even two years ago when that was common instead of just an outlier.

He’s picked it up on the defensive end, especially this year. Jokic leads all Nuggets regulars — alongside Paul Millsap and Mason Plumlee — with a defensive rating of 105.

He’s also averaging a career-high 1.4 steals per game, getting his hands into passing lanes and bothering ball handlers.

Jokic has also already surpassed his career-best mark in defensive win shares with 3.1 this season.

And as good as Jokic has been throughout, he’s even found another level in crunch time — much like the Nuggets defense in general. Of players with 25-plus games in clutch situations, Jokic leads the league with a defensive rating of just 89.5.

We don’t have to go back very far to find a good example. Just two games ago in a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jokic made a handful of great defensive plays down the stretch.

Though Jokic still isn’t a great defender — and likely will never be — he’s undoubtedly made strides on that side of the ball.

The Nuggets have had no problems keeping him on the floor in crunch time, despite whatever defensive problems he may have.