Denver Nuggets: Doc Rivers compares Nikola Jokic to all-time greats

In a recent interview, Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers offered high praise for Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic.

The Denver Nuggets have reached the second round of the NBA Playoffs for a second consecutive season. The driving force behind that success has been Nikola Jokic, who is primed to receive his second consecutive All-NBA First Team selection.

As the Nuggets go toe-to-toe with the Los Angeles Clippers, it appears as though Jokic is making a lasting impression on the opposing head coach.

Jokic has been spectacular through three games of the 2020 Western Conference Semifinals. He’s averaging 25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists while shooting 51.8 percent from the field, 47.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 83.3 percent from the free throw line.

According to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers compared Jokic to three of the all-time greats.

"“He has a little bit of everybody,” Rivers said Tuesday when asked if Jokic compares to anyone. “He has all the footwork and the moves of an [Hakeem] Olajuwon, the lanky and goofy, like goofy intelligence of Kevin McHale. Shoot, man, he’s just good.“He’s the best passing big that I’ve seen, I think, ever. I know [Bill] Walton was one of [the best passing centers ever].”"

That’s right: Rivers just praised Jokic as some combination of Kevin McHale, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Bill Walton—Hall of Fame big men who won multiple championships.

Walton won MVP in 1978 and led the Portland Trail Blazers to the franchise’s first and only title in 1977, sweeping Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Lakers along the way. Injuries quickly derailed his career, but Walton is still widely regarded as one of the greatest passing bigs of all-time.

Jokic has earned that same reputation during his five seasons in the NBA, with both statistics and the eye test supporting said claim.

The comparison to McHale and Olajuwon, who are generally regarded as the two most skilled post scorers in NBA history, offers insight into Jokic’s less-praised area of expertise.

Jokic’s average of 19.9 points per game during the regular season may not jump off the page, but his skill set is second to none. He can space the floor as a shooter, operate from the high post as an all-around playmaker, and even work the open floor as a ball-handler.

As Rivers is learning first-hand, however, it’s when Jokic gets the ball in the low post that opposing teams are rendered helpless.

The series has become quite chippy, but Doc Rivers isn’t losing sight of how special Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic truly is.