Just when it seems like Nikola Jokic can’t possibly get better at basketball, he comes back with a new trick up his sleeve, and this season it appears to be his midrange scoring. Last season, the Nuggets needed scoring and spacing, so Jokic got more aggressive and turned himself into an elite three-point shooter on volume.
This year, the team has more depth and health thus far, so he has taken a backseat in the scoring department and has fewer field goal attempts, but his efficiency has gone way up, especially in the midrange.
It’s really all two-point shots in general, as Joker is shooting a ridiculous 77% on all two-point field goal attempts. But the breakdown is even crazier. From 0-3 feet, Jokic has shot 72%, but this season he’s all the way up at 90%. For his career, on attempts from 3-10 feet, he has shot 58%, but this season it’s at 68%. And from 10-16 feet, he’s at 50% for his career, and 63% this season.
So far this season, Jokic is taking more than 3 fewer shots per game, but he is more than making up for it by practically never missing. The numbers are up across the board, as Jokic is truly making his shots count this season. They aren’t as frequent, but when he decides to put it up, it’s going in the hoop.
Jokic dominating the league in every facet
At this point, there really are no holes in Jokic’s game. He’s leading the league in rebounds and assists per game while scoring 28.7 points a night with absurd efficiency. He can score around the basket, he has mastered the midrange, and he shoots a high percentage from three as well.
This season, he’s even anchoring the league’s second-best defense thanks to controlling the paint and using his outstanding hands. With the improved team around him, there’s really no reason for any of this to change. Jokic has the luxury of focusing on his best skills and helping the Nuggets in ways he’s best suited for.
It’s resulting in an incredible Jokic season, and through 12 games, an incredible Nuggets season. The team is off to a 10-2 start, it’s best in 40 years, and there’s reason to believe they can get even better. Along with Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray are also off to great starts; the bench has been great, including strong backup center minutes from Jonas Valanciunas.
And the defense has been the most positive surprise of all. They are among the league’s best so far, and if that sticks, the rest of the league had better watch out.