2. Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s individual brilliance
Jokic stunned NBA fans all over the world with his postseason greatness, etching his name into the history books with some seriously jaw-dropping accomplishments.
During his run, Joker became the only center ever to record 500 points and 100 assists in a single postseason. He also joined LeBron James and Larry Bird as one of three players to ever put up 500 points, 200 rebounds, and 150 assists in a playoff run.
Jokic also smashed the record for triple-doubles in a postseason with 10 of them, adding to an impressive 16 triple-doubles for his playoff career. At 28 years old, he only trails LeBron and Magic Johnson in all-time triple-doubles in the playoffs.
In the Finals, Joker averaged 30.2 points, 14.0 boards, and 7.2 dimes per game while shooting 58.3% from the field and 42.1% from three. Throughout the playoffs, he shot a mind-boggling 46.1% from downtown on nearly four attempts per contest.
Mike Greenberg said that Nikola Jokic just had the GREATEST postseason run in NBA History.
— Swipa (@SwipaCam) June 14, 2023
Led the Playoffs in:
Points
Rebounds
Assist
30/13/10 averages
16-4 Record
NBA Finals
Finals MVP
WCF Finals MVP
What do you think? pic.twitter.com/2znJaFGdZU
Thanks to his utter domination of the Miami Heat, Jokic became the first-ever player to win NBA Finals MVP without an All-Star teammate at any point in his career. That could surely change next season as Murray enters his prime.
One thing is certain. Jokic will continue to build his legacy next season as Denver begins its first title defense ever.