The new addition of Aaron Gordon has given this Denver Nuggets team a real chance to make a splash in the playoffs. The (fantastic) four of Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr, Aaron Gordon, and Jamal Murray should strike fear into the hearts of all of their opponents and the rest of the league. Let’s have some fun and consider the four of their games and how they would mesh comparing them to the Fantastic Four from Marvel Comics! Enjoy the analysis of these players’ games and have fun imagining them as real-life superheroes on the court!
Thing: Nikola Jokic
The Thing is the perfect comparison to Nikola Jokic, something no one has ever seen before! A remarkable freak of nature, both Jokic and Thing use their brute strength to bully opponents. Another reason this comparison works is because they both move very well for their size and love making their opponents look silly for messing with them. He paves the way for his team and creates openings for his teammates. Both are also kind of the soft-spoken leaders of their respective teams; however, they are the ones with the most power and danger to do destruction.
On the basketball floor, Jokic’s ability to pick apart defenses while destroying the best bigs in the league in the paint and on the glass sets him apart. He is a dynamic player who thrives as the focal point of the offense, he is so deadly with the ball in his hands.
Michael Malone has really empowered him to be the best version of himself, allowing him to make incredible passes. His ability to always make the right reads, tough passes, and sometimes even look off passes mirrors Magic Johnson and LeBron James, some of the best passing bigger players of all time. Nikola has already set himself apart as the best passing big of all time.
Nikola was just named the Western Conference player of the month, in which he averaged 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists! This is all while shooting almost 60% from the field and 44% from behind the arc. His passing production is unheard of for a big man, he is fourth in the league in assists averaging eight and a half per game. For reference, he has the same number of assists as Chris Paul this year!
Mr. Fantastic: Michael Porter Jr.
While Michael Porter Jr does not yet match up with the (basketball) IQ with Mr. Fantastic, his impressive length truly mirrors him. In the same way Mr. Fantastic can suffocate you with his arms wrapping all around you, Porter does this on the offensive end of the basketball court on a nightly basis, and more recently with blocking shots on defense as well. His long arms allow him to get shots over tough defense and his ability to create his own look off the dribble makes him one of the better scorers in the league already.
Michael is really coming into his own and has matured as a playmaker, dribbler, and shooter. Once he gets more experience and time in the NBA, he has a chance to become a superstar, barring any setbacks. Time will also improve his ability to defend, there are many times where he gets caught ball watching and lets a defender slip by. He will have to work on his lateral quickness, but his length paired with his ability to move has the potential to make him a good defender.
Porter has had an incredibly hot month, averaging 20 points and 9 rebounds per game! His ability to grab rebounds and his overall intensity on defense has made him available to play the three or four for them. He is a matchup nightmare for most power forwards, most do not have the foot speed to keep up with him on the offensive end of the floor. It will be exciting to see how he and the rest of their big four grow together and how their games adapt to one another.
Invisible Woman: Aaron Gordon
The newcomer Aaron Gordon is comparable to Invisible Woman, with his ability to sneak around and flash to the right spot at the right time. Invisible Woman’s force field is kind of like the forceful and powerful explosion Gordon has when he leaps. This is the comparison for Gordon and his role on the Nuggets because they do not need him to be the number one option but can big damage catching teams off guard.
They need him to cut to the rim hard, run the fast break, and slip past defenders when Nikola Jokic has his back to the basket. With the Joker’s passing vision, he will find you with the perfect pass for you to be successful, but only if you make the right cut and play.
In the limited time that he has been playing with Jokic, I have been blown away by his off-ball basketball IQ. He knows how to react to collapsing defenses and then zip to the rim. Gordon looks comfortable and aware of when to cut and pop and always seems to have the defense on its toes. His ability to explode and hang in the air allows him to be that much more of a creative finisher, which he has displayed many times.
Gordon’s fit with this team is ideal, he is the player that their offense has been missing. He is a real threat to cut to the rim, and when paired with Michael Porter Jr’s length, you will need to have some really stout defense to protect the paint against this Nuggets team.
https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1377855815600717827?s=20
Porter and Gordon being interchangeable and working well on the court together at the 3 or 4 spots and making each other better, like Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman. Gordon will thrive next to Nikola Jokic, he has never played with a player who can create open shots on his level. Expect Gordon to blossom in his new role.
Human Torch: Jamal Murray
This honestly was the easiest comparison to make, Jamal Murray has one of the quickest releases in the league and when he heats up no one wants to guard him. Like his fiery hot head counterpart, Murray is not afraid to go at his opponents and is not afraid of the big moment. Jamal has such impressive shot-making ability from all three levels of the court. What makes him the most deadly is how quickly he gets his shot off, making him the perfect comparison for the lightning-quick Human Torch.
https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1362951543981367306?s=20
Jamal’s confidence and swagger have been off the charts since the NBA Bubble and the entire offense of the Nuggets have been feeding off of his dynamic energy. The fact that he has stepped up and became a lead guard has taken a lot of the ball-handling pressure off of Nikola Jokic, allowing their big to play harder on the defensive end and other parts of his game. He is also a great player to have because he can bail you out when the shot clock is winding down. His scoring is on an elite level at the moment and it all came from his initial spark he got from the bubble playoffs.
In this last month, Murray is also averaging twenty-one points per game and almost six assists! With the elite twenty-one-point per game scoring from Murray, Jokic, and Porter, it fuels the Nuggets offense to newfound heights. The fluidity in the Nuggets offense does not dictate that he needs to score thirty a night for them to win, rather Murray can pick his spots on when to take over and dominate the ball.